Pros
Rivian is great place to work. Generally, the workforce is motivated, driven and smart. It's been a very refreshing and motivating experience to work with so many engaged and intelligent individuals.
There are no shortages of technical challenges and problems to solve. Timing is (like everywhere) tight, and the environment is dynamic and fast paced. Great place for an engineer to dig in and have fun!
Communication from upper levels of management has been fantastic. A situation like COVID-19 should really highlight issues here, but instead, the Leadership Team did an excellent job communicating what was happening, when and why. Both the CEO and CPO (and the rest of the leadership team for that matter) make it a priority to disseminate information and be open and transparent.
Authority and autonomy. Employees from the lowest level to the highest all have equal ability to make decisions to inform designs and ultimately the product. It's ok to challenge the VPs if what they're saying doesn't make technical sense. It's ok to be challenged if the same applies to me. Truly amazing not to have to go through managers, directors and VPs only for them to not decide anything.
It's a start-up, there's a lot of work to do. This should be known going in... it's not a 9a-3p type place. For me, this is good... makes days go by quickly, and there's a feeling of contribution and helping move things forward. Some could see this as a CON, but those aren't the type for an environment like this.
Sustainable Mobility. Values are paramount.
Cons
Growing pains are evident. A company that staffs from a few hundred employees to a few thousand in a short time is bound to have issues. But it's nothing that's not manageable and the leadership team is actively working to sort through and resolve.
