Pros
Great place to work. The founders and early employees have been able to preserve the original culture of curiosity, humility and intelligence they started with and have accomplished much with a relatively small team. There is a strong sense of trust and ownership given to each individual, and most managers are fairly hands-off. Engineering teams get to make a direct and profound impact on the products and technologies used by millions of consumers - due not only to the 2 apps but also to the Houndify platform, which integrates into other devices. SoundHound is a market leader in a very hot space, and the market potential is tremendous especially for B2B opportunities. People genuinely care and respect one another, and take their work seriously, a culture that starts with our CEO and leadership. Unlike many startups, there is a sense of financial stability given the company’s 10+ years of existence and a recent round of funding. Depending on the team, some engineers will work on side projects they find interesting to them, and some of these have eventually made it into production. Employees consistently initiate social events with one another outside of work such as bike rides, movie nights, workouts, sporting events and more. An additional bonus is how organically diverse an office SoundHound boasts- over 20 different countries are represented in a company of just around 140 people. Also good work-life balance for those with family or not looking to live at the office.
Cons
SoundHound is very much an engineering company, so many of the product decisions and strategies are initiated and driven by engineering, which can be hard on product and marketing folks who feel they should have a stronger say in creating and executing the product roadmap. As the company grows, so does middle management - the organization does not feel as flat as it once was. Interpersonal issues are swept under the rug Not the most competitive compensation-wise Lack of career growth resources (classes, educational programs, etc.)
