Pros
- Coworkers (at least in engineering) can generally be expected to be extremely smart, ambitious, and friendly - On some teams, you might have the autonomy to make many critical technical decisions that matter and your voice is valued amongst your peers - You are rarely pressured to work overtime, and WLB is good. Unlimited PTO - Free food and snacks, plenty of social and networking events - Some managers actually care about you and genuinely want the best for you
Cons
-Elitist culture. Very high GPA minimum to get in (higher than any other company I've seen), which shows what they think determines a quality worker. Fails to cater to different working styles or younger hires who might even just take a little time to find their footing straight out of university, because, in their words, Appian is composed of an "elite" group of people going above and beyond. Feels almost like brainwashing, considering they dropped people like taking out the trash during layoffs (a simple search of Appian layoffs shows what employees really think when not afraid to voice their opinion and how the situation was handled) and yet everyone was still expected to give 110%. I've personally seen several hardworking, smart engineers leave due to this intense work atmosphere. - Management is a hit or miss. I've had good managers and I've had ones that see me as just another number for the company and really don't try to hide it with even some faked form of sensitivity or empathy. I've never felt so devalued, and at times humiliated, by some comments made to me by someone who is supposed to be my advocate - Upper management is so out of touch with the average employee and it shows in their decision-making, which affects all of us. Saying they have a "good feeling" about layoffs after letting nearly 100 people go without warning makes us all look expendable and comes across as tone-deaf - Product was unfulfilling to work on and doesn't feel innovative - Appian makes a lot of claims about valuing dissent, but ultimately, the best idea in the room doesn't win. Usually it's the loudest voice. And at Appian, a lot of middle-upper management begins to breed more ruthless, dominant personality types that only care about results at the expense of the workers - RTO: 3 days in-office for anyone within 50 miles of HQ, and likely to be full-time in office by next year. Don't expect much flexibility unless you live with a sick individual or live hours away
