Pros
It really, really pains me to write this review because I used to love thoughtbot so much. It was an amazing place for me to learn and grow and I really treasured my time there. I met some of the most incredible, kind-hearted, lovely people and the culture was amazing. I left because the growth potential and compensation wasn't meeting my expectations. I want to make it clear that I left on good terms and still have a friendly relationship with all my former colleagues. I'm not writing this review out of spite. I'm writing out out of genuine concern, and I think this needs to be said.
Cons
They've created a culture of fear. Only hard-left political viewpoints are acceptable and any public deviation is risky. Most of my friends at thoughtbot were liberal with left-leaning politics, and we were scared to share our authentic opinions on any social issues. While my colleagues and I privately discussed being scared to share our views, we wouldn't dare raise our concerns in public for fear of retaliation. We perceived it as social/career suicide to share a genuine belief on any potentially contentious political topic, even though thoughtbot claims to be a place where people can "be themselves." Partially, this is because senior leadership often espouses hard left political viewpoints in company-wide announcements. They take their politics really seriously, so deviating from the party line is synonymous with tanking your career. The DEI council seems to be running the show in this regard. Some of my friends who still work there are scared. They're ashamed of what the culture has become. Some have even mentioned they don't feel comfortable sharing anonymous feedback. When it comes to anything DEI-related, it feels risky to say anything at all. If you don't say precisely the right thing, someone could file a complaint about you, which could have serious career consequences. It's shameful.