New York Times Reviews

Pros

some groups (e.g. digital) are great at encouraging developers to try new things in our spare time (e.g. prototypes of new technologies). It's not an "enterprise-y" culture, i.e. we're free to use open source tools like mongodb, memcache, etc.

Cons

Some groups (e.g. corporate IT) are stuck in 1985. It can be incredibly frustrating dealing with some "Application Specialist" whose primary job skill is restarting a Lotus Notes server.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep things digital-focused, but don't jump on any trendy bandwagons. You don't need twitter accounts.

Pros

Good sales training from corporate office. Good benefits.

Cons

Didn't make enough money compared to similar positions in other cities.

Advice to Senior Management

Better communication with employees and recognition for meeting goals.

Pros

Large company with large company benefits

Cons

Poor management, dying industry, needs to turn it around

Advice to Senior Management

Get with the times, do better on the digital side

Pros

I was part of a strong creative group.

Cons

Very weak management, position was part of a union

Advice to Senior Management

Digital Advertising leadership is quite weak and hierarchical

Pros

This is a company that believes in it's journalistic mission as a means of enriching society. It's important and it is great feeling that you are a part of that. In the NYT you get to work without many technologies covering latest 3rd party APIs, internal APIs, EC2, PHP, JavaScript, mobile (iOS, Android), internal CMS, feed services and more. Colleagues are sharp, good natured and great to work with. Management within software group are themselves software devs. Depending on your project you get to collaborate with editorial and build one of the largest news sites on the planet. Finally, there is an active roadmap to harnessing developer ideas and using that to drive innovation on the web site and within the organization.

Cons

Nothing worse that what you'd expect at other companies and would learn to navigate around. Product and Ad people try to get last minute features included after requirements freeze. Sometimes there are too many people at too many meetings (easy to avoid once you recognize they don't need to be there). As the company continues its push to digital first/print second there are a number of depts from print side that are struggling to stay relevant and thereby attaching a voice to projects they don't need to be in. Again, avoidable once you realize this.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your developers more. Send more devs to conferences as advocates. Arrange more social events. Continue to foster the culture of innovation that you have begun. On a larger note, cut the fat if you are serious about the business. Lots of big meetings with people who add nothing to them or the company. You're splintering focus with both editorial and software having people on "emerging platforms" etc who don't talk or know of the other. You're afraid to fire people on editorial side so instead you promote them out or promote horizontally out which is still damaging.

Pros

Generally a lot of really smart people to work with, lots of tolerance in terms of work/life balance. Great office to work in for the most part. The work itself tends to be pretty interesting, or at least, you feel like people are using it.

Cons

Hard to get things done sometimes since it gets a little cliquey. Tends to protect the brand so much its hard to do anything really interesting. Nothing to eat around the building.

Pros

Great benefits, very intelligent people, understanding of time off and personal time.

Cons

Long hours, weekends and night are required.

Pros

Depending on your job title work from home is available
Depending on your location in the country promotions and raises occur a lot
People are really great to work with
Senior management seems competent its the managers under senior management that seem to be the problem

Cons

The goals and reviews are cumbersome. Scales can range from 1 to 5 but no matter how great your direct manager says you are you'll never achieve a 5 as its unattainable
Just because a benefit is available (for example education assistance) doesn't mean you won't receive push back from management even if the degree is relevant to your current job or another position within the company
You must "get in where you fit in" relationships are very important
I know its cliche to say you are worth more than you're paid but it's true here - there have people who have left and received 2x the amount they were receiving here

Advice to Senior Management

Look closely at your subordinate's skill set and listen to where there concerns and issues as they are the ones "in the field" who can foresee issues.

Pros

Very renowned place to work if you want to become a journalist

Cons

The limited conditions in China's media environment

Pros

Institutional influence; caliber of work; whip-smart people; very family-like atmosphere at the section level; ability to learn from the best in the industry.

Cons

Everyone assumes this is the most important thing in your life -- save family crisis, you are expected to work whenever, wherever (vacation? ha!).

Advice to Senior Management

Listen better to what employees want instead of cherry-picking talented staffers for roles they may not turn out to be comfortable/effective in.