Bolt

Talented engineers, meaningful technical challenges at scale, and real opportunities to learn if you land in the right team. Earlier on, the engineering culture felt more merit-driven, with strong accountability, direct technical discussions, and room to deliver impact. That is also why I stayed and kept trying to improve things for 6 years.

Weak leadership, unclear expectations, opaque promotion processes, and too much inner-circle decision making.

Over time, the environment became increasingly shaped by ethnic cliques and closed-group dynamics in management, which made it hard to trust that hiring, promotions, and influence were truly merit-based. Communication standards were inconsistent for an international company, creating misunderstandings and unequal footing for people outside those circles.

I also saw repeated favoritism, blocked or redirected promotions, unfair feedback, micromanagement, poor handover planning, and management decisions made without transparency. After fighting these issues for years, I eventually gave up because the environment no longer felt fair, well-led, or inclusive.

Break up closed leadership circles and rebuild trust through transparent, merit-based decisions. Make promotion criteria explicit, document decisions properly, enforce consistent communication standards, and hold managers accountable for favoritism, poor leadership, and exclusionary behavior. People can tolerate hard work and high standards, but they eventually leave when fairness, transparency, and leadership credibility are gone.