Pros
Prestigious and world-renowned reputation; Uber ride home and $18-limit for dinner (not much in 2018 in a CBD) when working over 10.5 hours/day. PM must approve prior; Global scope (work on projects all over the world); The SOM process is a highly rigorous and conscientious way to approach design that has been emulated throughout the design industry.
Cons
Toxic leadership that micromanages, overworks, underpays, and creates a hostile environment with strong implications for one's mental and physical well-being (I have witnessed regular, emotional breakdowns); Expectations and deliverables are not clearly articulated as leadership is disengaged and unable to lead; HR protects leadership at all costs (akin to a tenured professorship); No overtime pay for D-Levels and above, even though D-Levels do not make decisions directly related to their staffing; regularly told that I am underperforming while working back-to-back 50+ hour weeks; expected to be "on call" every weekend without pay; small number of people on each team who "carry" low-achieving colleagues and leaders alike; challenging to create a career as leadership is very top-light and infrequently transitions/retires (1300 person firm; 21 partners, only 3 of which are women); inflexible, archaic management and policies; benefits are below the industry standard and very expensive; Noted lack of professional respect for minorities, women, and LGBTQ employees; no or little professional mentorship and coaching; Pettiness between teams and leadership, resulting in lack of communication between stakeholders that falls upon juniors to resolve as PM's are uninvolved; Across the board, everyone is stretched too thinly to do their job properly and within a proper standard-of-care; reputation and history of the firm is leveraged to push employees to their limits.