[jdowner]

"You want to work at a company on a strong growth trajectory for lots of reasons, but a big one is your own growth potential. You will learn the most the fastest at places that are growing fast, and have way more openings for promotions and leadership roles than a slower-growing company."

While I think this is a reasonable opinion, it's been my experience that companies who tout 'strong growth' are a cluster fuck. Communication quickly becomes a nightmare that is really hard to rein in. When that goes, there are a lot of likely outcomes -- none of which are good. Typically, the organization because fractured and siloed. That plucky team that punched above their weight, is now filled with a whole bunch of new people and the culture just became totally different. Now, there are a bunch of people pushing different agendas, and trying to get something done is no longer an engineering problem but also a political one.

You WILL learn a lot but, if my own experience is anything to go by, it will be lessons on how not to do things rather than "this is a good way to do things".

[notpachet]

I've had the exact same experience. These sorts of environments seem to unintentionally reward assholes and bullies because they're the ones with the immediate means to get what they need in order to move their agenda forward. Chaotic environments are a breeding ground for strongmen.

[geoduck14]

>Chaotic environments are a breeding ground for strongmen.

In some cases, yes, but also a breeding ground for nimble people, clever people, and social people. It doesn't have to be bad, it can be good