Pros
I love bikes. I love the culture around bikes and fitness. This was the place to be. A majority of the company is young and fit and into bikes. There are cool bikes and fun ideas all over. Passion can be seen in the product and the level people work at. Beautiful area outside of the hustle and bustle of the city (Morgan Hill, Ca) that is reverse commute for most people coming from San Jose.
Cons
When I started at Specialized (2010) the culture was completely different than it became 4 years later. The company grew RAPIDLY from 2010-2014 except in the HR department... This combined with LITTLE TO NO ONBOARDING led to a dissolving of the company culture. The company went from having the feeling of a large family, to just another corporate machine. Turnover went through the roof! The HR team fell apart and the new people that were hired to run HR were very green and experienced and without a leader or direction. The goals the company rolled out were more and more aggressive every year and the focus shifted from being the best, to being the biggest. Sales reps should expect to work there for a year or two MAX before you are burnt out or get let go. Product people should expect to travel to the Taiwan factories (not a nice place) once a month. Vacation time goes unused-use it and people look at you like you are a slacker. "Fast paced" is not the right phrase- UNDERSTAFFED AND OVERWORKED are terms more fitting to the company (and UNREALISTIC). Compensation is definitely fair for the industry for the most part. For silicon valley? Now that is another story. Only the Director and C level people make the big bucks. Everyone else scrapes by. The company banks on its fringe benefits and "culture" as a reason for people to want to work there. As both of those deteriorate, there it becomes just another corporate machine in the valley.