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Highly talented workforce stymied by toxic leadership

Software Engineer
Current Employee
Has worked at Applied Intuition for 2 years
January 25, 2023
Mountain View, California
2.0
Doesn't RecommendNeutral OutlookDoesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

This company is the clear leader in the various spaces it operates in. The workforce is highly talented, skilled, hungry, and a pleasure to work with. Teams are motivated, and many of us enjoy working on the types of problems we're faced with.

  • Great people
  • Cool tech
  • Bright business opportunities/futures
  • Fast pace
Cons

There is an increasing sense of toxicity coming from upper echelons of the company.

Right now, the growth stage the company is in (one of becoming a real company versus a startup) is suffering from mercurial leadership, micromanagement, and ruling by fear/intimidation.

It's a very uncomfortable place to be. The fear of retribution, coupled with a lack of seeing any positive change come from flagging concerns to leadership, has created an environment of extreme anxiety at most levels.

  • Mercurial leadership
  • Horrible vacation policy
  • Stock options are weak (offer letter misleading)
  • Lack of trust
Advice to Management
  • Trust your people.
  • Don't blow your people up in a recorded meeting by throwing them under the bus, yelling, cursing, dropping f-bombs, blaming a couple of engineers, and then stating that the CEO and CTO could have done a better job.
  • Stop leading through fear and intimidation.
  • Quit with the micromanagement.
  • Take anonymous feedback surveys from your employees.

Additional Ratings

Work/Life Balance
1.0
Culture and Values
2.0
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
5.0
Career Opportunities
3.0
Compensation and Benefits
2.0
Senior Management
1.0

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