Vantaggi
On the outside, SolarCity looks like a fantastic organization to work for - that's what I initially thought when I read the reviews on Glassdoor. I will say, the benefits are better than some other companies may offer (along with the eligibility period after one month of employment). The vacation plan is also very good in comparison to others. I also met many fantastic colleagues there, and I will continue to keep in touch with those, although I am no longer a part of the organization.
Svantaggi
Why I titled this smoke and mirrors - is because you do need to drink the "Kool Aid" (or "Solar-Aid") in this case to fit in. That means, if invited to company events/meetings - you MUST go, otherwise you will find yourself ousted for going against the grain. In addition to this, there is an underlying expectation of what you "should" do, versus what you *actually* do (if what you do does not meet the expectations that your manager has of what you should be doing... you are just out of luck). No one asks about career aspirations, so unless you are an individual that is an more of a "brown noser", you will find it hard to move up simply excelling in your work. Although I initially thought this culture was for me, I am an independent thinker and I feel that work performance should be satisfactory enough to signify recognition. Unfortunately company-wide, there are a lot of new managers in various departments that do not know how to adequately manage a team - therefore it becomes a matter of "who I like" versus "who does their job well".