Company: Apple
Date: 2012-03-18
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current

The most amazing experience of my career.
Pros: Never a dull moment.
A culture of driven performers who refuse to see obstacles in their way as being limiting, while they push Apple forward. 
Feels like a family at times, because of how hard everyone works and how closely aligned we all are to the vision. 
Constant innovation begets constant change. 
Work closely with an incredibly talented and motivated group of people. 
A chance to change the course of the world through technology.
Cons: Limited to no work life balance, despite Apple's claim to endorse such a balance. 
There is an endless amount of work, and it feels like there is never a quiet moment. 
As a culture, Apple doesn't look back, which can make it difficult as there is rarely ever a moment where your past contributions are acknowledged. 
You always have deficiencies in your individual performance. When you are able to sort those out, there is little acknowledgement that you accomplished addressing them beforyou are given more to sort out. It feels like an endless process, that can de-motivate. 
Culture shift following the passing of Steve Jobs was palpable; the hard-charging 'pirate era' gave way to the staid corporate era, where audits are common and individual creativity is discouraged. 
Retail Senior Lederahip positions are being filled with big-box veterans, who have little to no ability to generate creative ideas and solutions to leadership and management challenges, beyond the bad habits and limited thinking that they used to eek through previous employment.