Pros
Pros non-existent/ very few.
- Some HRs are good and empathetic.
- Remote First culture is appreciated.
- Compensation is average. It's decent for someone transitioning from low compensation company, service companies. Good compensation for executives roles.
- The company’s product offering has potential and is actually quite good. However, due to the internal issues and poor culture, this value gets overshadowed, and the product’s strengths are often hidden or underappreciated.
Cons
TL;DR:
please refrain from joining this company as an engineer. If you have great skills, great engineering accumen, i would advise to join some better company/startup. There are not great benefits, you will loose your engineering accumen here. They won't increase your salary but keep on adding responsibilities to your role every 2 month or so. And at last the poor culture and toxicity which is present in team due to incompetent managers (these are damagers not managers).
- Poor Culture: The overall company culture is quite poor, especially when compared to leading product and tech companies. The tech culture feels worse than some service-based companies.
- Excessive Hierarchy: There's an overwhelming hierarchical structure, similar of a bank or government office. This creates a depressing environment, particularly for engineering teams. For example: Engineer manager reporting to Product Manager which is very odd and counterproductive.
- Top-Down Leadership: The tech teams suffer from a top-down management style where engineers have little to no autonomy. Every technical decision is dictated by a senior leader, making it a hostile environment for engineers.
- High Attrition: The company struggles with high employee attrition, which indicates deeper systemic issues. Tech employees leaving every month shows high attrition among teams.
- Unclear Roles & Career Paths: There's a lack of clarity regarding engineer levels and roles. Broad, undefined positions have replaced specific ones like Architect and Staff Engineer, and the career progression is limited, forcing people into roles like Product Manager or Engineering Manager. People who are not competent enoung for EMs roles are forced to become EMs. For example: Since architect role was dissolved , architects were forced into EM roles. which is unhealthy for a team.
- Outdated Tech Stack: Many teams are stuck with outdated technologies and show little interest in adopting modern innovations. There's a reluctance to experiment or explore the potential of emerging tech trends, especially in AI, to boost productivity.
- Ineffective Practices: Non-standard tech practices are widespread, and engineering managers (EMs) seem uninterested in addressing these issues, focusing only on meeting OKRs to preserve their quarterly ratings.
- Unfair Promotions & Growth: Promotions, salary increments, and growth opportunities seem biased, with discrepancies based on region. Some regions face poor growth prospects and unfair treatment.
- Inefficient Meetings: Long and unproductive meetings are a regular occurrence, often lasting for 5-6 hours which is very unproductive. During these, engineers are excluded from meaningful participation, and decisions are typically imposed by senior leaders, showing a lack of respect and trust in the team.
- Incompetent Managers: There are several ineffective Engineering and Product Managers who survive due to high salaries, and management seems uninterested in addressing this during performance reviews.
- Toxic "Boss" Culture: A "boss" mentality is prevalent, where managers react defensively to feedback and often play the blame game. There’s a distinct lack of commitment to the team’s well-being and progress.
- Burnout & Leave Issues: Taking time off, including bereavement leave, is extremely difficult. Management’s lack of empathy and entitlement over employees’ time is leading to burnout and inefficiency.
- Disrespect & Micromanagement: There’s a pervasive attitude of disrespect, with passive-aggressive behavior from upper management. Healthy dialogue and mutual respect are absent, and micromanagement is widespread, despite multiple HR complaints.
- Stagnant Salaries & Bonuses: No salary increments for over a year, with vague excuses like "we pay well in the market" despite evidence to the contrary. Promised performance bonuses rarely exceed 15%, with limited transparency and explanations for why.
- No ESOPs: There's no equity offered to employees, which is a significant drawback compared to other tech companies.
- Probation Period Issues: The probation period is unusually long (6+ months) and there’s no leave during this time, which isn’t disclosed upfront.
- Time Zone Disregard: There's a lack of consideration for employees’ time zones, especially for those working with teams in the UK or Nigeria. Late-night meetings have become the norm, and regional managers often prioritize their own convenience.
- Downgraded Benefits: After the Indian entity setup, promised benefits were reduced or eliminated. No salary increases, no onboarding kits, and the notice period was increased from 30 to 60 days. Management offers vague explanations for these changes.
- Internal Politics: Unhealthy and unfair political dynamics are rampant, contributing to a toxic workplace culture.
- Job Insecurity & Low Satisfaction: The company follows a "hire and fire" culture with no job security. Some employees were let go even after completing 6 months.
