Good Perks, but misleading company
Pros
The company has several good things going for it: - Stocked food and kitchen - Cool office (it's several buildings connected together) - Solving somewhat interesting business problems (this is also a con, see below) - latest hardware (macs, standing desks, there's a $200+ tea maker in the office) - company seems profitable (for now) - it's a small company, so you can gain recognition - located in small town (this is also a con) - compensation is above average for the area - some management actually cares about you as a person and your career development - good health insurance - the company pays for the premium
Cons
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy my time at Vertical Knowledge. The major issues they have is the culture that they have built: the company prides itself on the culture that it built, but it fails to acknowledge the negative aspects that come with their current culture. It is very clique-y, and encourages people to be smug, arrogant, and immature - none of which were lacking when I was there. The engineering teams lack any real leadership and technical expertise (aside from their internal tech). The actual business problems are trivial, so there is no need to hire experienced workers. The company itself tries to maintain an image of mystery/secrecy on purpose, partly due to the nature of their work, but after working there for some time, you quickly realize that the work is not so interesting. Many of the employees there were hired because they were friends of someone who already worked there, which isn't a bad thing in itself, but they did not provide any value to the business. I once had someone come up to me and say "I've been so bored recently. I haven't had any work to do in months so I basically come into work just to hang out." The location in a small town discourages outings after work hours, as there is not much to do in the surrounding area.
