Compelling challenges but less fun than before
Pros
This has been a great place to work. It can be a lot of pressure, which is probably right on the cusp where some find the pressure to be compelling, and others find it toxic. So, I get why some people may justifiably not like it. Not sure if there's a definitive line between toxic and compelling. But, I personally have found it compelling. The constant challenge pushes me and has helped me avoid complacency. There's always a new challenge and something new to learn. I have a lot of confidence in the leadership, both middle management and exec. To be transparent, I'm distant enough from execs that I'm isolated from any rumored drama or toxicity. But, I've been here for a while and have never experienced any of the rumored toxicity in my infrequent direct interactions with leadership. They make mistakes, but any time mistakes are made, they are pretty quick to learn from them and right the ship.
Cons
It's a lot less fun than it used to be. There used to be a lot more lighthearted fun and silliness in the culture. There used to be a lot more jokes and casual conversation in Slack and heckling in town hall. Thankfully the work is still fulfilling. Just... not very fun anymore. The pressure can be a lot. It requires a bit of thick skin. The pressure is good to push you beyond what you think is possible. But, you have to be able to be honest with yourself and management to be able to communicate reality when the expectations are completely unreasonable. I honestly think it's a good culture. But, only if you can find the balance between allowing yourself to be pushed to learn and improve, and being able to effectively communicate and pushback to prevent burnout. It would be miserable for those that are too scared to surface issues to management or push back on other teams. And it can't just be whining. Frankness and honestly is good (and in my experience, has always been appreciated). Whining is not helpful or good.