A Culture of Insecurity
A Culture of Insecurity
- Remote-first culture.
- Flexible core working hours.
- Unlimited PTO (depends on team norms).
- Competitive pay if you live outside the US.
- Lack of job security: frequent layoffs have occurred across teams over the past 2 years.
- Unclear evaluation standards for ICs: even strong performance reviews are often dismissed as "inflated."
- No clear evaluation criteria for ICs. High-performance reviews are often dismissed as "inflated" or lacking in "outcome".
- No career growth for engineers: flat organizational structure offers no defined advancement path.
- Generalist tech culture encourages inconsistent and often poor practices.
- Reliance on outdated technology, with WordPress still at the core after 20 years.
- Clueless business leaders continue to acquire failed projects with no clear strategy.
- A small operations group exerts disproportionate influence, enforcing the above and creating a climate of fear that can jeopardize employment.
- Get proper business leadership training — an MBA would help more than continuing to acquire failed projects.
- Provide genuine job security by reducing the cycle of constant layoffs. Stop the cycle of layoffs and provide employees with a sense of stability.
- Define transparent, fair evaluation criteria for ICs instead of dismissing strong performance.
- Build real career paths for engineers rather than hiding behind a flat structure.
- Address the toxic influence of operations and foster a healthier, trust-based culture.
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Automattic Interview Experiences
Software Engineer
Zoom interview. I passed a code interview, which took about a week to complete. Then, I entered the "paid" project. This drew out over three months. Feedback was very slow but positive until I was suddenly told that the trial was coming to an end and
Software Engineer
Call with HR. Invited to the Slack group where the technical test is shared. Needs to work on the test based on their instructions and commit it to their GitHub.
Software Engineer
They don't really hire for positions. Rather, when you apply, you join a 'talent pool' where they may or may not get back to you. It's not really nice applying to such a void, but they do state that on their careers page.
Software Engineer
New ZealandNovember 1, 2024Zoom interview. I passed a code interview, which took about a week to complete. Then, I entered the "paid" project. This drew out over three months. Feedback was very slow but positive until I was suddenly told that the trial was coming to an end and
Software Engineer
IndonesiaApril 16, 2024Call with HR. Invited to the Slack group where the technical test is shared. Needs to work on the test based on their instructions and commit it to their GitHub.
Software Engineer
United KingdomJanuary 1, 2024They don't really hire for positions. Rather, when you apply, you join a 'talent pool' where they may or may not get back to you. It's not really nice applying to such a void, but they do state that on their careers page.
