Pros
Cognizant paid decently well and the people from smaller acquired companies were great.
Cons
The culture at Cognizant was extremely negative. Lots of empty promises about company structure, bonuses, everything. Employees were constantly told things that were completely untrue. We were told we'd be paid out bonuses at certain times and then have to continue asking for them months later. But, if you leave prior to the annual bonus actually being paid, you do not receive your bonus.
Cognizant did not provide a service that I felt good about selling. We were required to include offshore resources who did not have the proper training, skill, or knowledge to complete projects they were placed on. It was a disgusting feeling to sell sub-par work that I tried to avoid at all cost.
Cognizant led meetings were comprised of around 75 people sometimes for calls that my previous company would handle (better) with 2-3. Presentation and proposal decks would reach 150+slides that absolutely no customer would ever review. These meetings and proposals were a complete waste of time and money. Many Cognizant employees were not good team players. They would attempt to blame others for mistakes they had made even when there was a clear trail pointing to the truth.
All in all, it was a very sad experience to be with a phenomenal company for years prior to being acquired by Cognizant, only to watch the amazing culture we had built be completely destroyed. I am very happy to not be associated with Cognizant anymore and I'd recommend anybody considering to go elsewhere.