Pros
I joined Verkada a year ago because I wanted to learn what it takes to be an effective operator at a company going through hyper growth. What I love about this place is that from the moment I joined, I've been given huge amounts of autonomy and responsibility to make my own decisions on which projects to take on, which processes to refine, etc., based on my analysis and understanding of the business. Every executive that I work with is incredibly approachable, and I regularly find myself in brainstorming sessions with execs thinking through better ways to run our business - this is a pretty amazing learning opportunity. I think Verkada is a true meritocracy, and I am constantly pushing to get to the next level and have an impact. I'm excited to come into work every day, and that's largely a function of the people and the culture. There's an energy in the office. In the year I've been here, I've seen us come a long way from a culture that undoubtedly had its issues to one that fosters an inclusive workspace. Verkada has a number of community groups that do a great job creating a culture that focuses on more than just our business results. When the surge in AAPI hate crimes happened a few months ago, the multicultural community group help an open session to give employees the chance to talk about how the events were impacting them. It was pretty inspiring to see the team come together and support each other through that event. Management has been supportive through COVID, providing in office tests every day and creating a workspace that felt safe to be in. We also offered free walk-in testing to the San Mateo community, something I'm super proud of.
Cons
Like most hyper-growth startups, the pace of work can be exhausting. You will learn an immense amount here, but you will also work a lot. While I personally prefer being in the office to being remote, I recognize it's not for everyone. We foster an in-person culture and we expect our employees to be in office.