Pros
I worked with some very fine people there; unfortunately, they were the minority.
Cons
It takes more than exposed duct work and some mediocre beer to create a west coast style software company. The culture at Utilant is appalling. Bad behavior and open hostility are tolerated and commonplace at all levels, starting at the very top. There is a total lack of personal accountability; whenever things go wrong blame is simply shifted to whoever isn’t in the room at the moment, and 99 times out of 100 no one present has the spine or the decency to object to this cowardly practice. Meanwhile progress grinds to a halt, clients get angry, and hard-working staff spin their wheels and become disillusioned while the do-nothings rely on the buddy system to get by. Morale is terrible in most departments and turnover is through the roof. And no, it’s certainly not because Utilant does such a good job of training newbies that they get recruited away by other companies. That’s a creative, albeit laughable, delusion perpetuated by a management team grasping at straws to explain the almost weekly departures. At the top, there is a fundamental lack of understanding or respect for established industry best practices, and a glaring absence of actual leadership. Decisions and direction are ego-driven and lack the sound judgment that comes from experience, of which there is cumulatively very little. There is a widespread failure to learn from past mistakes, and both clients and employees suffer for it. As this company continues to grow rapidly beyond its capability to deliver, things will get worse until eventually it all comes to a head in some unpleasant way. Until then, give this sideshow a wide berth as you pass it by.