Slave-ish Culture - Software Engineer JustWatch Employee Review

- It is an interesting field - You are given a fair bit of freedom* -Modern-ish equipment - Stocked kitchen(if you care about that)

Where does one even begin with this company. Many employees experience the same big shock when they first join the company which has mostly to do with insanely high expectations that are poorly or not at all communicated with the employees. The management stubbornly refuses to adopt any workflow that is not purely reactive. There is no planning for the future apart from quarterly road maps which act more like suggestions than a fixed roadmap. Management also stubbornly refuses to listen to or acknowledge people's professional opinions and prefers to seek confirmation of their own beliefs. This in essence results in multiple decisions being made without the technical know-how or understanding of the wider implications. Promotions are given freely to those who get along with a certain group of managers, one in particular has mainly given promotions to employees he likes or who agree with him on everything. While employees who disagreed with him and voiced their professional opinions openly were let go. The company also likes to boast about its "flat hierarchy" but in reality, it is a very hierarchical company with a lot of politics. The turnover rate is insanely high and the sentiment from the CEO is that everyone is replacable anyway so it doesn't matter if knowledge is lost. The company also likes to boast about great financial results but is not willing to provide appropriate pay raises to their employees, who they will assure repeatedly they pay above average, which they absolutely do not, in fact I know of at least two employees who got let go for requesting raises that were promised to them and would bring them to an average annual pay.

I worked at JustWatch for three years as a Campaign Manager, and it was an exciting journey. The company has a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a startup vibe, which keeps you on your toes and constantly learning. The team is incredibly talented, and the leadership is approachable and open to new ideas. I had a lot of autonomy in managing campaigns, and they trust their employees to take ownership of their work. Plus, the office culture is fantastic—there's a real sense of community with regular team events. If you're passionate about movies and digital marketing, it's an amazing place to be.

As with any fast-growing company, the workload can be intense at times, and things can change quickly. You need to be flexible and adaptable to keep up.