Pros
The technology is what first inspired me to go after an opportunity with Narrative Science. I was fascinated by the group of people working to do something totally new for the space. The disruptive nature of Quill at the time was appealing, but it has been the constant hunger to stay the undisputed leader in the category, and the power behind what we've built that has kept me so committed to our mission. The people are what has me smitten with Narrative Science overall. I've never been surrounded by so many passionate, driven, smart and humble individuals who also embrace the quirkiness of their own personality or interests as I do my own. I am challenged each day by the person next to me, because they are all invested in our mission and are working relentlessly to contribute. That said, witty banter abounds and it is what makes the hard work worth it - I laugh as hard as I work most days, and that's really special to me. Transparency is important to me in day-to-day life, so it has been refreshing to find such a wealth of it within a business setting. Leadership has found a nice balance between sharing information about the company and overloading employees with details that may not be relevant for their particular roles. One example of this comes every month in our All Hands meeting where the P&L is shown, and a general update on the business is delivered by our CEO.
Cons
It's hard not to be "all in" at Narrative Science, and though I am 100% committed, sometimes I struggle with balancing time outside of the office because there's an ability to be connected at all times. Along the same lines but in a different sense, we are all very passionate people who care about our future and the technology, so at times there are meetings with many contributors rather than smaller groups making decisions. On one hand, this is really great because everyone is involved and gets to have a say. On the other hand, it is difficult when things are not executed on as quickly due to lack of buy-in, or the resistance of not including all possible stakeholders. At the end of the day, these aren't deal breaker items, though they are honest personal struggles of my own during my tenure.
