Pros
Company Culture: I have worked under several phases of evolving management, and while there are definite areas for improvement as the company grows, I do appreciate the efforts being made to ensure our working environment is congenial, full of people who are tremendously talented but also passionate about what we do and where we are headed. Office life is tricky. I understand that it's no easy task to strike the balance necessary to keep employees engaged without the oft-repeated company values seeming cheesy and disingenuous. Admittedly, I've heard our buzzwords (awesome, invested, thoughtful, open) frequently enough that I avoid using them in casual conversation. With that said, I can't overemphasize how far this company has come since I first started. The general atmosphere — transparency, how colleagues interact, leadership attitude — has greatly benefited from having defined core values. The recent reorganization of upper management, in particular, has me really pumped for the future of LegitScript because it shows that the people at the top aren't selling us empty promises about company culture. I really believe they are committed to change for the better. We have a new COO, who is kind and experienced, thereby allowing our former COO (who was doing the job of two) to move into more of a strategic planning role. Additionally, we have a product manager, a brand new position within the company, and the sharp individual selected to assume this role has already brought a much-welcomed sense of organization and objectivity to internal operations. There have been periods of doubt as we've struggled to adapt our culture alongside program expansion. Even though I'm sure there are going to be more obstacles, the support that analysts have now is stronger than ever before, and I have confidence overall in those who are spearheading the direction forward. The People: I love the people here. I'm grateful to work with such a diverse group of highly skilled, good humored people. Some are intense and outgoing, others more shy and reserved, but they are all SO SMART and care about making the internet a safer place. The Work: Our work requires curiosity and creativity. It can be demanding. Above all, it is rewarding. We find the illegal and/or risky online activity, report it to our clients, and go home knowing we have done our part to help. Perks: Free snacks (both healthy and less so, on the daily), a friendly barista, dogs in the office (all whom I've found to be well-behaved with minimal to no borking), attentive IT coworkers and engineers, tons of natural light, dishwashers and ample air conditioning and central heating (call me too Portland but this seems like a big deal to me), sit-to-stand desks, WFH options, health and vision insurance, 401k plans, plus tiered additional perks that increase with employment longevity (e.g., local business gift cards).
Cons
Roles/Company Structure: It was only in the past two years that upper management created more defined paths for career growth. With these paths being so new, and with many leadership members working beyond their bandwidth, said paths and roles still lack the type of definition that gives a sense of stability. On one hand, this means motivated individuals can really shape their roles into what they want them to be. At the same time, the fuzziness of not knowing what to expect can be extremely stressful, and thus this environment is not for everyone. I don't think this will be the permanent state of things. After all, LegitScript is only 11 years old, and the company structure is trending in a solid direction. I'm willing to weather the hard times, foggy as the future may be, because of all that is good about this place. Compensation: Please bear in mind, this opinion is specific to the analyst side of the company since my feedback is based solely on my experience. It seems like competitive pay may be tough for upper management to assess because they are understandably busy, less entrenched in ops, and therefore more detached from what constitutes an analyst's day-to-day responsibilities (which vary by program and role). Market comparisons could be skewed by the unique nature of what we do. Raises that accompany promotions are unknown. These observations directly relate to the current feeling of uncertainty and the need for more role definition within each program. It makes it hard to know how to work toward a promotion, or whether that work will be worth it, when the reality of the responsibilities and benefits is unclear. I believe that leadership knows about, and is considering how best to address, this issue. Technology: We have great tools but could be exponentially more efficient with even better ones. Our engineering team is amazing! They're cranking out a crazy number of new features while maintaining the existing products. I don't really know how much can be done about the need for more tech resources at present, and I do think upper management is keenly aware of how key this department's expansion is to our success. Training Time: A solution for this has already been initiated, but the time it has traditionally taken to train a new analyst is not going to be sustainable at the rate we're growing. The training team and program analysts have been holding things together. I'm afraid this has contributed to burnout.