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Interesting Tech, Unstable Management

Staff Machine Learning Engineer
Former Employee
Worked at Flexport for 4 years
April 24, 2024
Seattle, Washington
2.0
Doesn't RecommendNeutral OutlookDoesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

Probably the only credible and interesting technology play in the entirety of the logistics industry. Many very experienced and knowledgeable people used to work there. Most people are oriented towards action, getting things done, helping, and sharing what they know.

Work-life balance was always good with minimal on-call and most people respecting nights, weekends, and vacations.

Cons

Management shake-ups have been fast and violent for the last two years, resulting in multiple rounds of layoffs. The remaining employees seem overwhelmed and overworked, just trying to keep the lights on, much less develop anything new or support the CEO's ever-changing, radical vision.

I can't honestly recommend that any technical person go here to work or learn, as the company has now found itself buried in so much technical debt that it's going to be difficult, if not impossible, to deliver on the promise of Flexport (automation and a great UX, at scale).

There is a high likelihood that you end up maintaining a system for which no experts exist, is very complicated, and is inexplicably mission critical. Only join if you want to be part of a comeback story, or you're an expert at pumping air into life rafts.

Amazon's politics were brought in with the last CEO and have proven impossible to root out.

Advice to Management

Steady the ship, stop changing the vision every 6 months, and make the core value proposition profitable.

Additional Ratings

Work/Life Balance
4.0
Culture and Values
4.0
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
3.0
Career Opportunities
2.0
Compensation and Benefits
3.0
Senior Management
1.0

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