I worked for this company since its infancy. I always hoped things would change, but they only got worse as time went on, so I finally left a few years later (I stayed there too long at the expense of my sanity). There are so many "cons" that it's not possible to list them all here. If you are young and relatively inexperienced, this is NOT a good training ground for you. If you are an experienced professional, this is definitely NOT the place for you (you will soon realize this company is headed nowhere, and its poor management and lack of proper laboratory practices will drive you to madness). This company lacks focus, leadership, organization and professionalism; it's the classic case of the blind leading the blind. There is a serious lack of knowledgeable, experienced middle-management, and the upper management has its head in the clouds. Many of the appointed "leaders" are highly inexperienced themselves, and/or lack leadership qualities. The upper "management" is very detached from what goes on in the laboratory, and many lack a backbone and are a bunch of "yes" people. The company sets aggressive, ambitious, unrealistic "goals" with zero project planning to guide the process along. Scientists run around like chickens with their heads cut off due to lack of clear leadership and guidance from "management". The "science" that's conducted at this company is mediocre at best (and this is giving them too much credit). The products that are formulated here are practically "slapped" together because there's no time to conduct sound research and development. The so-called "quality control/assurance" is a joke (it's about the only place I know where QC runs QA). I am a working professional with over 20 yrs experience, and as such, I've been exposed to various types of job settings and company cultures, but I've never experienced anything like this place before. Marrone Bio Innovations (formerly known as Marrone Organic Innovations) is chaos personified and madness is its driving force. If you do choose to work for this place, you will soon regret your decision (unless you play the company politics game and become a "favored" employee). This place has a very high turnover rate, there is not very much room for professional advancement, and it offers low salaries for the non upper management employee. Although most working employees (non-management) are nice and hard-working people, many are highly dissatisfied with their jobs. Marrone Bio Innovations is a true case of the "tail wagging the dog". I truly hope this review helps someone make a more educated decision regarding potential employment with this employer.
