Mixed Bag, Ultimately Can't Compete w/ the Big Players
Pros
(this is really more like a 2.5 rating, btw) -Looks good on a CV -Legitimately interesting and well-thought-of product -Smart people -Easy work; if you want the hardest part of your week being trying to make "sat around and did nothing 4 days this week" sound like you were somehow doing something productive, this is for you -Overarchingly friendly for the most part -Solid ESPP w/ long lookback (though might be a con now that the stock has peaked) -Health benefits passable (though took a hit in 2019) -Free firewall for personal use -They legitimately want to "be better", just aren't willing to invest to make it happen. It's a truly interesting company, with a technology that is just unseen anywhere else today. It's very likely it will be acquired by a larger security firm within the next 2 years.
Cons
-New executive leadership is changing culture from product/customer based to sales based. If you aren't an SE, you aren't a real person. Alpha Dudebro culture imminent. -Compensation WAY below industry standard -401k is a joke; might as well not exist (1K max match) -Bonuses tied to metrics beyond your control -"Unlimited" PTO is typical scam, constantly pushed to not leverage it except in extreme situations. Really just a cover for company to not have to pay departing employees accrued PTO. -High travel expectations combined with super chintzy travel policy -Incredibly poor training/continuing education/professional development. Even training in their own product, let alone anything that doesn't have a Palo logo on it. Frequently paid for my own training out of pocket, even if it was attending conferences Palo was sponsoring. -Becoming less about the people and more about analyst computations -If you aren't based in Santa Clara or Plano, you're like a ghost to the company -If you aren't based in Santa Clara or Plano, you will have ZERO "real" advancement opportunity. Ever. -Consultants not infrequently thrown to the wolves to save someone else's face -Be prepared to face some ethical dilemmas. You are going to be pressured by certain PM's to push customers into using purchased consulting hours when they are not ready to proceed or not at a stage where the hours could be effectively used, so that the metrics look better. If the customer pushes back, you are going to be encouraged to cajole them into going against their instincts and needs. -Even employees have limited ability to access lab resources to test or troubleshoot problems -Professional Services not especially valued at company. Consistently treated more as a burden than an asset by upper management -INCREDIBLY cheap with equipment. Do not give you the tools you need to succeed; my laptop was broken for over a year and I could not secure a replacement (had to use personal devices to do my job). Personal anecdote: I was pressured to take time off for medical issues (which was appreciated at first). Did so and, because my doctor was not prompt enough in filling out his paperwork for the company (beyond my control), was black-marked for "violating attendance policies" because the leave paperwork others were to complete on my behalf wasn't completed. I kept getting badgered to have someone else do paperwork, as though I had any control of the situation, they never reached out to the doctors directly. Kind of a microcosm of how things operate there these days. Decision to separate today with no finalized prospects; to put the compensation issue under a microscope, in less than an hour after electing to separate, had an offer in hand with a base salary $65,000 higher, 4 times as many RSU's, a full 5% 401k match, a 20% bonus (Palo base is 12), and a large signing bonus (Palo does not provide those). The reality here is Palo is great at finding really smart people who are coming from subpar employers (government, privately held, etc.) that don't offer typical techie benefits, which increases excitement for those people initially, but eventually the bloom falls off the rose and they start to see what they're getting isn't anything special and the vaunted culture isn't something most of us really see or experience, it was just better than the terrible situations they were coming from. So the dreamers and those who like easy only-work-20-hours-a-week gigs are the only ones who are going to stick it out, and that will be a challenge going forward as the culture of the company shifts under the near leadership (they're trying to make it Google culture without Google perks). Of the 15 people who started with me 18 months ago, to my knowledge, only 7 remain today, and 4 of those 7 have expressed a desire to leave, but are stationed in cities where there aren't many other opportunities for them. The harsh reality is they simply can't compete in terms of employment opportunities with any of the major tech players with solid employee relationships, or even well-funded upstarts.