Pros
Applied is a very focused company that makes getting things done straightforward and efficient (which came as a breath of fresh air after working for a large company and poorly managed startup). There's no corporate politicking, employees at every level of the company are given appropriate degrees of autonomy when it comes to decision making, and the company is not afraid to spend money when it will enable your work (eg. purchasing high-end computers, travel etc). At Applied, I met some of the most talented and intelligent people I know, and this meant that I learned an exceptional amount. I gained an education at Applied that has already served me immensely not even a year out from leaving the company. I think I would be hard pressed to find another company where I could have gained so much valuable knowledge and experience so quickly. At the same time, I also made several great friends, and I genuinely mean this. You have to spend time with your colleagues, and people are friendly, but in my career there has typically been a line between work friends and my close friends. At Applied, I made real friends, who I traveled with and looked forward to seeing outside of the office. The company is well-led by very competent people, and continually overcomes significant challenges to maintain a pace of growth and development. I have a lot of well-earned faith in the leadership and direction of the company, and believe its long-term success.
Cons
Applied is an intense company to work for - the expectation is that you will work hard at your job. This is worth understanding if you are looking for something a little cushier out of your employment. Decisions and conversations around high stakes topics are executed without emotion, and communication can be very direct. This is something that I ultimately appreciated (it helps to avoid ambiguity), even if I might have felt bad in the moment.