Engaging work with talented team but processes need improvement - Software Engineer EliseAI Employee Review

I work with an incredible team of individuals who are highly dedicated, fun to work alongside, have relentless drive which encourage you to level-up. Great Pay, Great Product, Smart colleagues, and the opportunity to move into other departments, no swim lanes. Rare combination.

Fast Paced, not a con, but you have to be ready for it!

Employees are given a lot of freedom to figure things out and get work done. There is a high level of ownership, and individual contributors can have real impact. Compensation is strong. The company provides generous food perks, including a very flexible meal benefit.

The engineering culture is a mess. Technical standards, infrastructure, tooling, and general engineering discipline are all in poor shape. Engineers who care about improving their craft should be cautious, because this is not an environment that will make you better. People are let go suddenly and without meaningful warning. There does not seem to be a serious process for feedback, coaching, or performance improvement before termination. Engineering is badly understaffed, so long hours and constant pressure are normal. Engineering management lacks experience, but often acts with a level of confidence that is not supported by the quality of the organization or the technical environment. Leadership across the company is toxic and defensive. Feedback is not handled well. The company will spend money on almost anything except hiring enough people to do the work sustainably. Employee support is extremely limited. The absence of a real HR function says a lot about how workplace issues are handled. Senior leaders yelling at employees in public is treated as acceptable and even culturally reinforced. Career growth for engineers is extremely limited. Promotions are rare, and title changes should not be expected unless someone is willing to operate under intense pressure for years.