Pros
Great co-workers. Rakuten has hired some really nice people Free lunches on Friday and free breakfast on Wednesday They throw killer conferences, parties, events, and symposiums for those who are lucky enough to attend There is so much to do that you could get two years of work experience in just one year Offices are pretty cool and are in decent locations Benefits are decent
Cons
The technology and systems side of things are a disaster. From planning, to decision making, to execution, this place is a tangled mess. If you are on the business side and you need something simple done, you will stand in line for years. Depending on your position or account, you should plan to WORK HARD over the holidays. Maybe you'll get a bonus. Maybe you won't. Feels like a lot of positive hype leading up to the holidays, only to discover we didn't "quite" make our goals, and sorry we can only offer $X bonus this year. Strange disconnect between the japanese and american cultures. We see things very differently and it creates awkward encounters and collaborations. Working with and working within the product and technology teams is an ongoing struggle. Watch out for inexperienced people learning to navigate the overlapping worlds of product, software development, and business without having the right experience in any of those areas. Weekly timesheets. Really?