Pros
I am the first person to have been hired when a new org was created and when the headcount was in the mid 20s. I have seen HackerEarth grow from the fledging it was to what we are now.
Thinking back, there is little I would like to change about to the way I have grown. HackerEarth has been a platform which has given me ample opportunities to learn - make decisions, learn from the wrong ones, take ownership and much more. This has been the case with understanding people, taking product decisions, debating engineering trade offs, processes, coordination with teams etc. After more than 2 years here, i can definitely say that I have come a long way but there is still a long way to go. Some of the pros at HackerEarth include:
- Flexible environment to work and learn
- Open to experimentation (till you communicate what you would like to achieve)
- Open communication by top management: In my experience, this is by far the best communicating leadership in terms of future plans, people, hiring, targets, company performance, road map etc.
- Hiring based on skills and ability to work with other people rather than pedigree
- More ownership = more rewards (not all mentioned in the offer letter :) )
Cons
- Fewer meetings. Please.
- Need for faster decision making and need to share learning with other teams
- Hiring is cautious and reactive
- Trust and communication within teams were an issue till 6 months back - has improved significantly and can improve further
