Datadog

Most employees are genuinely nice, smart, and collaborative. People are talented and generally easy to work with.

The company offers free catered lunch every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, unlimited snacks and drinks, and vending machines where you can even get chargers, keyboards, and other electronic devices for free.

The office is spacious, bright, and has an amazing view. The overall design and multimedia equipment are very new and modern.

There are a few people on the team who pretend to be supportive and offer to help new hires, but actually give misleading guidance.

Once you follow their advice and something goes wrong, they completely deny what they said and use that as evidence to attack you.

The management chain is very opaque. When false accusations happen, people higher up (including skip-levels) do not verify facts but choose to believe whatever they hear, making baseless assumptions without knowing the situation.

Some experienced engineers are arrogant. They leave harsh comments on docs and PRs without understanding the full context, which gives newcomers the illusion that they did something wrong. In reality, it’s a form of gaslighting. When you calmly show evidence and explain your reasoning, they simply refuse to admit their own mistakes out of pride.

Increase transparency and accountability within teams. Don’t let those who act “helpful” on the surface manipulate situations behind the scenes. Encourage fair fact-checking before making judgments, and create an environment where constructive feedback is valued over arrogance.