Pros
My first manager at AI2 would often ask people "What are you optimizing for?" in many different contexts (not just machine learning). This was meant to force people to consider what they were really trying to accomplish. When I think about what AI2 optimizes for is assembling an extraordinary team that produces AI applications, libraries and research that benefit humanity in a wide variety of ways. They are well funded, which meant our team was able to focus on the greater impact our projects would have on the AI community and not about revenue. Hiring is done in a unique way relative to many other organizations. Every FTE can see interview loop feedback for prospective candidates and every FTE has an opportunity to advocate for a new hire (even if they were not on the interview loop). I was blown away when I saw this for the first time. Even if I had no feedback for a candidate, having the opportunity from day 1 to influence the team meant a lot. I think this process has been key to consistently creating great teams. Every person I worked with was exceptional across all parts of the org (hr, it, ao, engineering, research, etc.) - they all truly cared about helping you with whatever you needed. This level of transparency didn't stop at hiring - I felt like any question you had about the company was on the table: funding, mission, projects, personnel, etc. Overall, I am grateful for having the opportunity to work at AI2. I learned an enormous amount about how great research is produced and how critical it is to have an exceptional team to achieve that goal.
Cons
no cons come to mind
