Pros
high starting salary; decent support system for new hires; young company, social atmosphere; a good place to start a career; decent amount of responsibility given to new hires; ability to take ownership of projects from infancy to launch; many opportunities for career growth; unique company
Cons
lousy raises - usually do not even keep up with inflation and aren't tied to actual effort; upper management makes poor decisions or waffles and is not in touch with reality; wasteful practices - time, money, resources; privately-held - one person sets direction; the company lacks respect for people, their time, and feelings; nepotism is common; company is slow to adopt new technology and ideas; communication between management and employees is marginal at best; lack of true leaders