A combination of the work I'm doing and the people I'm doing it with.

Salary is fair, and unlimited PTO (although of course it's never truly unlimited) give us a lot of flexibility

Transparency in communication. Their drive for innovation. That they are visionaries but really push people to build things and do it optimally.

We support each other. Our meetings are fun, engaging, and even when we disagree with each other, it's done respectfully. Besides Aura's mission, it's my favorite part of working here.

They are passionate about what we're building. They are smart but also very kind and transparent. I really feel like the company is in good hands and that they trust their employees.

Working on innovative and challenging problems that require creativity and technical proficiency. And doing all of that with a team of people who can support each other and bounce ideas off one another.

They are all functional, smart, competent, polite, fun and easy-going people. On a given day we can be working on challenging problems and then go out for a drink, and both of those experiences would be very enjoyable.

There is this energy that comes from working on problems that matter, problems that we care about. Then there's the hope that we are positioning ourselves as a leader in this industry. And on top of that we have people with smart minds, small egos, and kind hearts.

The caliber of talent is top 15%. But more and more I believe that that is the sweet spot. I hear from way too many friends at companies who hold the top 1% of talent (Google, Facebook, Apple) that the atmosphere is much more competitive, less forgiving, less friendly. I prefer this any day.

Once or twice a year I look at the market and what they are paying for my skills and experience. Our pay is competitive, no doubt. But I do fall $15k-$30k short compared to some other places. I know I can work at those places because I've interviewed and gotten offers. I choose to stay for now.