Pros
I have been working in software development for over 30 years, in addition to owning/co-owning a few different companies, so I have a much different viewpoint on who ECI is compared to other companies. I have worked in both the commercial and government sectors. I have worked at small companies of 10 people to companies with over 20,000 people. So I think I have a pretty good feel for how ECI stacks up with the current marketplace. First, I would start off by saying: If Edaptive is the worst company ever, with no values or ethics, then why does it continue to grow, retain good people, and continually win new contracts? Could it be that the negative comments below just the rantings of disgruntled employees, who are really not the smartest people in the room that they think they are by getting out, but that the rest of the employees who remain actually enjoy working for a company that offers a enjoyable environment to work in, where the work is challenging, where yearend bonuses are handed out (at least in the 2 years that I have been with the company), along with ad hoc gift cards and birthday celebrations, not to mention working on challenging projects, involving cutting edge technologies?
Do the developers work in a bull-pen environment? Yes they do, which is not unlike the ones utilized by Google or what Fidelity Investments used when I worked there, or a lot of other technology companies (just look at the graphic on the front page of the GlassDoor website). This does not make it a sweatshop, just a different environment that actually works quite well for software development projects.
Edaptive Computing is owned by a husband and wife, and as a Project Manager & Principle Developer, I can tell you that a lot of the negative comments about the owners/upper management are being offered from a 10 foot view, not a 50,000 foot view. I chose to come to Edaptive, for among other reasons, because I was tired for working for a large company, where things generally move slower in adapting new technologies, to a smaller company where utilization of new technologies generally happens at faster pace. In the 2 years that I have been with Edaptive, I have been impressed with the diversity of projects, and the amount and level of new contracts that are continually being won. What does this mean to you as a potential employee, a place with steady work without fear of being unemployed in a year or two. Go to the company website and look at the open job postings. These are not all due to turn over, but to the number of new contracts that we are winning.
In a Nutshell:
Small company. Challenging project/work utilizing cutting edge technologies. For me, it is nice to be at a company where I am not the smartest person in the room, but one of the many smart and talented developers at Edaptive. Yearend bonuses (not guaranteed, but have received since I have been with the company). Little things like, free snacks in the break room, birthday celebrations, ad hoc gift cards. Internal training, not just from within, but also by bringing in college professors to teach classes in their fields of expertise. Pay that is consummate with experience. An open door policy at every level of the company. A company with a lot of up-side and job security.
Cons
Just the same growing pains that I have seen from several successful companies as they move from being a small-small company to a large-small company.