Pros
Vulcan is an amazing place to work if you're the kind of person who wants your work and your company to have a purpose and to have an impact. From all of the philanthropic initiatives, to the impactful, award-winning storytelling that Vulcan Productions does, to the museums like Living Compute Museum or Flying Heritage Collection or buildings like the Cinerama, to the commitment to "Tackle Ebola" and so much more - there is no shortage of awesome, one-of-a-kind work here that you simply can't experience at any other place (at least, all in the same place). The culture of fear alluded to in the other reviews still lingers in some areas, although I'm getting the sense that current management is very aware of that and consciously, even if slowly, trying to address it. In spite of this culture that is still trying to define itself and work itself out, for the most part the people here are brilliant, passionate, and committed people who truly want to do inspiring and impactful work. Comp, benefits, and perks are pretty good (in fact exposure and access to such a wide variety of cool projects and events is a perk in itself). Work-life balance can be manageable, depending on the group.
Cons
Remember that part about having a purpose and and impact? On a company-wide level, there is very little to no talk about a big strategic direction or purpose. There are no clear company goals or objectives from month to month, quarter to quarter, or year to year. There is no vision or impact statement that bridges all of the amazing work here together, and not a clear sense of what the company wants itself to be, or what it aspires to be. Making the problem worse is that there is little communication from management on updates or progress in Vulcan's initiatives or what it may mean for the company. Priorities shift without a clear articulation from management on why. So while in each individual job or group one can sense an inspiring purpose in their work, on a company level there just seems to be a random hodge-podge of work and initiatives that Paul Allen happens to be personally interested and invested in at any given time. Which is as it should be, of course, but without some type of underlying grand purpose or vision, there will eventually be a difficult time establishing any meaningful post-Paul legacy. Career-wise, this probably isn't the first place you'd want to consider if moving up the ladder is most important to you, because there isn't much of a "natural" career progression at this company. Think of Vulcan as a great place to do one-of-a-kind work and projects, and as a place where you can conceivably have a big impact if you have great ideas, and the will and dedication to follow through and execute on these ideas. A resume-booster, if you will.