Patreon

The mission is absolutely amazing for anyone interested in creative pursuits. There are very few tech companies where you can feel like you're actually doing good. You consistently hear anecdotes about how what you've built allowed someone to follow their dreams and pursue their passion.

Not to mention everyone in the company feels strongly about the mission. A few times that Patreon let down creators, the entire team of ~85 people at the time cried in unison. I've never seen a company in which everyone is so emotionally invested in the success of the product.

Many of the executives at Patreon are extremely inexperienced, and it shows. For years, Patreon's product vision has been an ambiguous and vague mission statement with no real plan of attack. This led to a reactive culture; we were never moving in the same direction and didn't know how to prioritize unless there was an emergency. Now there is direction, but personally, I don't think it's the right one.

Furthermore, the company is exceedingly bureaucratic for its size. For only 150 people, it feels like every decision has to go through 20 people's approval.

If you are not operating at a level that moves us forward and quickly, step down and allow someone else who can step in. At this stage of the game, the team needs opinionated and experienced leadership, not just inspirational pep talks.