Pros
When the CEO Jo (aka Karen) was not present in the office, the environment was markedly different. Colleagues were friendly, approachable, and consistently willing to assist one another, creating a workplace that was both positive and productive. On those days, the team demonstrated its talent, creativity, and ability to deliver thoughtful work. Unfortunately, when Jo was present in the office, that atmosphere collapsed. At times, interacting with her felt surreal, as if drawn from an episode of Black Mirror. Her behavior often veered into the bizarre, spiteful, and incomprehensible. If not for the reassurance of coworkers, I would have doubted my own perception of events and reality. Colleagues frequently reminded me that her treatment was universal, that she eventually targeted everyone, and that the only way to endure was to develop thick skin until she shifted her focus elsewhere. Even in Jo’s absence, employees were never free of her presence. Slack was her primary instrument of control, with hundreds or even thousands of messages issued by her daily across countless channels. This was compounded by her poor memory, which led her to forget or deny directives she herself had given. Every Slack channel was required to include her, ensuring her oversight of nearly all communication. In practice, working under Jo felt like serving two roles simultaneously: in person, she was often a mean-spirited bully; online, she was an unrelenting troll with a faulty memory.
Cons
Before I joined ShipperHQ, I assumed the negative Glassdoor reviews were exaggerated accounts from a handful of dissatisfied employees. I quickly learned they were not only accurate but understated. Instability was the daily reality, and its source was singular: Jo, the CEO, founder and sole authority. She was brash, unpredictable, erratic, and frequently demeaning. Decisions were made rashly, often based on fleeting impulses, and then reversed without acknowledgment. Logic, structure, and follow-through were absent. Employees were left scrambling to adapt to directives that were routinely forgotten, contradicted, or ignored. Most concerning was Jo’s conviction that she was an expert in all areas of the business. In my experience, her understanding of many core functions was below average and, at times, entirely ignorant and uninformed. It often felt as though Jo intentionally obstructed employees from completing their work as a form of control. Rationally, I understood this could not be true, since she owned the company, yet her behavior consistently created that impression. No competent leader would construct such barriers to productivity. The more likely explanation was her complete lack of self-awareness. What she perceived as helpful involvement was, in practice, interference. Surrounded by “yes-people” unwilling to challenge her, she appeared incapable of viewing herself with objectivity. No employee was safe. Even if Jo treated someone with surface-level respect initially, it was only a matter of time before they became her target. She could shift from casual and joking to aggressive and confrontational within seconds, sometimes even threatening people’s jobs in front of others. I repeatedly witnessed her yell, curse, and speak in ways that were not only unprofessional but outright degrading. When employees sought clarification on her vague or contradictory directives, she often responded with rude, dismissive remarks instead of guidance. There was no value in reminding Jo of prior instructions, pointing out contradictions, or producing evidence from her own Slack messages. Any attempt to prove her wrong backfired. The more one pressed, the more combative she became. Working under her leadership meant abandoning the expectation that logic, evidence, or reason would ever prevail. Her word in the moment was final, even when it directly opposed what she demanded the day before. After multiple failed attempts to engage Jo in rational discussions about her contradictory directives, some of which turned hostile, it became clear to me that producing meaningful work at ShipperHQ was no longer possible. My role devolved into mere survival until I could secure another job.