Pros
The title refers to the feeling among the employee base, including myself, that Nextdoor is one of those rare big ideas that can have a global impact at scale, the way that Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have left their imprints across the world. It is exceedingly-hard to come up with and then even harder to execute one of these big ideas. We at Nextdoor are very mission-driven and filter for genuine belief during hiring because our vision is really tough to execute, one that will require patience and deep belief in order to stick with it. Figuring out growth for this product is really tough due to the fact many neighbors don't know each other and Nextdoor is here precisely to help neighbors get to know each other. Having said all this, one should want to solve difficult problems that have not been tackled before. The horizon for Nextdoor's future and its ultimate mission is really far away and quite broad, keeping us all stimulated mentally every day and prompting us to get better and better at our jobs. Other reviewers have talked about the sense of family here and I can echo the sentiment. I truly feel love for my colleagues: they are fun, supportive, and very hard-working. Startups tend to filter well and so have we, it seems. While I have really liked my startup families of years past, this is the best team of people I have worked with across the board. The other aspect that drew me to Nextdoor is the management team. They have been around the Valley for a while longer than 20-year-old CEOs (as Seinfeld used to say, not that there is anything wrong with that) so there is a methodology and professionalism to they way the company conducts itself that is rare to find these days. As an employee, it's comforting to know that the company is in experienced hands.
Cons
Startups - good ones anyway - are intense places. Nextdoor is no exception but again, because we feel like we're onto something big, we feel the urgency to succeed in our mission and not "drop the ball", so to speak. This, along with the experienced management team, means that this is a serious, "adult" place that could at times be more...fun. If you are looking for the whimsical startup with dogs running around, people riding scooters around in shorts barefooted (I have been there), you may not find this to be your cup of tea. I personally would love to have a couple of dogs around - they brighten those tough days. On work/life balance: it's true, we work really hard and long but again, startups are only as successful as what the employees put in.