I strongly advise potential candidates, especially those in the U.S., to reconsider before joining this company. Initially, the CEO may appear compassionate and empathetic, but this facade does not reflect the reality of the company's leadership decisions. The hiring practices, particularly in the technology and product departments, are alarmingly ruthless. Management tends to be passive-aggressive, often crossing the line of professionalism during individual and team meetings. This environment leaves employees feeling trapped and undervalued, as they are aware of limited alternatives.
The company's strategic approach involves hiring from Europe and subsequently displacing U.S. employees, a practice that has been subtly hinted at during company-wide calls. Despite assurances against multiple rounds of Reduction in Force (RIF), these promises have been consistently broken.
Reflecting on my initial days, the company once offered a motivating and healthy work environment. Unfortunately, this has drastically changed. The current atmosphere is dominated by fear, exacerbated by a micromanaging and unsympathetic leadership.
The engineering teams, in particular, are facing extreme exhaustion. Leadership often sets unrealistic project timelines without comprehending the technical efforts required, resulting in immense pressure on these teams. This has led to widespread burnout, yet there is a notable lack of empathy from upper management. Product and program managers are instructed to apply constant pressure on their teams, even going so far as to discourage the use of planned PTO. The focus is solely on immediate outputs, neglecting the prioritization of technical debt and the sustainability of the solutions being developed.
