Tells a good story; doesn't really live up to it
Pros
Free food. The facilities are great and are updated often for the better. Benefits are good. The intern program is one of the best. Despite dysfunctions in various organizations, the company's outlook is healthy.
Cons
I worked in Global Sales Operations for 4 years, so this perspective is unique to that. Long hours are expected; don't expect less than 45-50 and often 55-60 near the end of quarter. Do not expect management to honor work-life balance by default. Most rank-and-file employees that support Sales work long hours. There is dissonance between stated values and actual working values; for example, a commonly spoken mantra is "members first" -- yet there are few member support options other than email (no phone center) and LinkedIn is embroiled in a lawsuit concerning spamming new users' contact lists because of an unclear and confusing user experience. No clear path of promotion for many positions in GSO. Much of the advertised "company culture" excludes parts of the company outside of Mountain View; there is no true "hackDay" and "inDay" outreach. This leads to "Two Companies" syndrome, where one side lives LinkedIn culture and the other doesn't have opportunities to participate. Middle management is "dog eat dog", incompetent, and highly political, which has led to a lack of collaboration between departments and a promotion of the idea that you're on your own.
