Hella Pleasant and Productive Workplace
Pros
Culturally, Meraki has retained all of the great things about start-ups (one exception noted below), while getting rid of the toxic parts of start up culture. Like a start up, you're working with people who are hella smart and hella driven. Meraki engineers tend to come from top engineering universities, be passionately engaged in various activities outside of work (climbing, backpacking, music, brewing, martial arts, sports, etc etc), and very willing and able to socially engaged with you in a work context. Not sure how something works? Ask the gal that built it and she'll probably drop what she's doing and talk or pair-program with you until you have a good idea what's going on. Not sure why a decision was made? Hop over to your manager's manager's desk and get a pleasant and unguarded explanation. The physically and socially open office layout is a strong holdover from this company's start-up days. Lunches? Beautifully catered. Dinners? Pick a restaurant. Snacks? All of them. I'm talking fresh berries, avocado toast. Plus, you won't find any (or, okay, very little, may depend on team) of the alpha-male/alpha-nerd/tech-bro egotism or terrible work-life balance often associated with start-ups. There's a strong 40hr/week culture. I could sum it up like this: there are still two kegs in the office, but one's filled with kombucha, and the other with cold-brew coffee.
Cons
Unlike a start up, engineers aren't here to change the world. Or disrupt any market. You're grandma won't recognize the name of your company. You're here to make products that will sell better, and to marginally increase the quality, accessibility, and feature set of networking products. Sometimes that's sad. But far more often, it's really great. Because you're not working with people self-centered enough to be in it for the glory. You're not working with people who want to use their intelligence to make a name for themselves. You're working with people who want to work in a friendly environment and build good products. Which usually feels like a healthy and productive place to be. Also if you're scared of dogs, this is probably not the place for you. (If you love dogs, there are many cuddles to be had).
