Mozilla

Lots more talk than action.

The company is large enough that it’s challenging to know if women are being paid the same as men in the same role. In my specific case, I was not. I was able to address this at my yearly review. But it was also suggested to me that bringing my salary in line with others in my department was considered “outside the norm” by management and HR.

Many people stay at Mozilla for many, many years. Since people don’t move on to other companies, and because the company does not create new roles very often, there’s very little opportunity for career advancement.

However Mozilla does have a non-management track that is impressive. So you can continue to be promoted with higher pay and new titles. This is great, but it’s not exactly “career advancement” that will help you outside of Mozilla. That is, you may leave Mozilla at high pay and/or a fancy title like “Principal X,” but without supervisor or management experience, you’ll have a hard time convincing another company to pay you the same rate for a non-mgmt role.

There is no career support while you’re there — managers receive no training that would help them support the careers of their employees. Employee training is something Mozilla wants to do, but simply doesn’t put in the effort.

About 1/2 the company works from home. So the culture is a flexible one, which makes it easier for people with families — e.g., popping out during the day to pick up kids and the like.

In general I would suggest working at Mozilla in the early to early-middle part of your career. You’ll work with interesting people around the world, and your work will contribute to Mozilla’s larger mission to protect and improve the Internet.

If you’re at a senior or established level, what you do at Mozilla is not likely to move your career forward. However if you’re a senior person looking for a place to “coast” for a year or two, this could be a good place for you. The work/life balance is great (rarely over 40 hours), and the work isn’t terribly difficult or stressful.