Pros
I have worked for many different companies over the last several decades - some startups and some fortune 100. At the startups we talked about changing the world. But is another piece of software or phone app really going to change the world? I don't think so. Working at SolarCity, you really can change the world - and I mean that literally! We are on a mission. The pace is grueling, the pay mediocre compared to many other high-tech companies in the valley -- but the difference we can make to slow down -- or prevent -- catastrophic climate change -- is real! Come join us for a few years, make a real difference, and then move on to some other company to build apps or whatever else you might want to do. This is where we disrupt the present and invent the future!
Cons
Work life balance? Your kidding. SolarCity is a results driven company that needs to constantly push all depts. to achieve new levels of output in order to achieve our overall mission of thwarting climate change. The pay and equity shares are not commensurate unless you achieve a directorship or VP level -- so the compensation tends to be weighted towards the top - which is not typical of most high-tech startups where comp (particularly equity share) is more distributed even at the lowest levels of the company. There is opportunity to move up - lots of opportunity but a dual ladder typical of most high-tech companies does not seem to exist. To get ahead - you need to move into management. Pete spoke about creating a dual ladder for engineering but I don't believe this has really become reality through all functions. One other con -- is that ideas for improvement tend to be top down driven - not bottoms up like most high-tech companies. The C-Level Management is very good at SolarCity but innovation for solving problems or building a better product or service which usually comes from the bottom - but not so at SolarCity. SolarCity also hires lots of young energetic people who merely follow directions from the managers -- rather than think for themselves, so its often that thinking employees are not empowered to make decisions -- and usually need dept manager approval on everything. This will limit SolarCity's growth as we scale. Its also degrading for those people who can think for themselves. Its management by Direction - not MBO.