Pros
• The vision—lowering the barrier to entry for understanding and working with public data—is genuinely exciting and important.
• The company culture is friendly, genuine, and inquisitive. There's a wide diversity of backgrounds and personalities but things never feel cliquish.
• Perks are nice.
• The CEO. I have a different perspective than other reviewers. In the past I've worked with several CEO's, and without exception they knew nothing about the product we were creating; they were glorified salesmen who saw product development as little more than a business operating expense. My experience at LiveStories has been a complete 180. The CEO is passionate and deeply invested in creating the product. He is open to criticism; when I've shared concerns with the direction of product or strategy, he has been honest and reasonable even when my concerns are overruled. It's true that the company's direction has changed without investing resources to smooth out rough edges, and as a perfectionist, this does rankle me. At the same time, for startups, speed and flexibility are strategically paramount, so I can understand his priorities.
Cons
• The office is cramped and uncomfortable, making it difficult to get work done. (though this will soon change with a new office).
• Pay is low.
