Pros
You get to work on cool robots. The team I worked with was pretty great (laid off due to Covid). Free food. 5 o'clock-Fridays are fun.
Kontras
They work their people fairly hard, 9AM-6PM at minimum is expected.
Pros
The company is well past the 'experimental prototype' phase, and is iteratively improving a codebase actively being used to dig production trench. The engineering approach and has pivoted dramatically since the pre-COVID days, and a lot has been rebuilt from the ground up since then. Good software development practices are enforced with a stringent pull request process that emphasizes simplicity, robustness, understandability, and automated testing. They tend to push for having fewer features that are very reliable instead of more features that are half-baked. If you're coming from an academic robotics background, you may find some of the approaches unconventional. That can take some getting used to, but there is usually good justification for it. It may be simpler and easier to maintain than the 'conventional' approach, and has probably proven to be effective in the field if it is still being used. Remote work has largely been embraced, but the environment is still pretty collaborative despite this. The engineers are passionate, easy to work with, and seem to be sticking around.
Kontras
They expect a lot of productivity out you. This could be a pro or a con depending on how much you enjoy the work and how much time you are willing to commit. 9AM-7PM PT are the standard hours, but some work other schedules, especially those in other timezones. They are quite accommodating if you need to step out for whatever reason every now and then - you're just expected to work a little more some other time to make up for it. They ultimately expect 50 hours a week, and it's not uncommon to see some choosing working more than that. I'd personally give the company a 5 star rating, but if you don't love the work or don't want to work a lot it's probably not the best fit for you.
Pros
Awesome job with "fully paid" travel from home and back.
Kontras
Flew me to a site in Louisiana to see the robots in action and the job just to be ghosted after extreme positive feedback from team members in the field. Got stuck in Dallas overnight due to storms paid for all meals and transportation out of pocket plus an extra night in hotel. Never got reimbursed for anything or even get anyone to answer phonecalls/emails. All positive feedback from all parties then im out 1200 bucks and nothing! Even have the signed contract stating all expenses would be reimbursed along with a $500 daily consulting fee. Beware before advancing to onsite interview with this company not trustworthy in the least!