Apple – “You won't be the smartest kid in class”

Pros

Apple hires very well; your coworkers will be extremely talented and smart. You can learn a lot, fast, and you have the satisfaction of working for one of the best loved brands in the world. Too, the employee perks are good and getting better, albeit under pressure from GOOG.

Cons

It is a personality driven organization, and only those personalities that match the screaming tantrum thrower at the top seem to get ahead. The secrecy is beyond fastidious and is in fact insultingly petty and political, and often is an impediment to actually getting one's work done. Communication is not a skill that is prized or rewarded and thus is naturally underdeveloped to the point of atrophy. We're remunerated well, but not as well as perhaps we might be.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing what you're doing, but pay more attention to company-wide communication over direction, succession, &c.