- TLDR is this was a great company to join during post-covid ecommerce boom. In the current state of AI hype, Algolia (and the search industry as a whole) have really struggled. I would stay away. I also acknowledge that I am writing this review AFTER the new CEO started. Take that as you will.
For those who want a longer list:
- Bizarre loyalty to incompetent middle management. If you get stuck with a bad manager, good luck with any form of career development.
- At a company level, an absolute refusal to look into what competitors are doing well and reacting to the market. Everything is very rooted in the Algolia way of thinking without an ability to think outside of the box. During my time there, I attributed much of this to having long-tenured engineering leadership. The CTO, for example, has literally only ever worked for Algolia. Great career story, but not great for innovation.
- Lack of accountability across the board. Under-performers stick around far too long, particularly at the top.
- Zero user research or feedback loop from the field to product, which allows competitors to advance ahead.