Patreon

Some fun people work there.

It's rewarding to help artists.

That's about it.

Leadership here is a huge problem. Executives are in two camps -- the ones who started the company with Jack (the CEO) are untouchable, no matter how under-qualified or incompetent they are.

When Patreon needs to hire VPs from outside the company, they conduct long and expensive searches that culminate in underwhelming candidates. Those new VPs have a shelf life of 6-24 months before they're fired or pushed out. They're generally not able to accomplish anything meaningful in that time.

The truly bad ones sow chaos and discontent -- and Patreon has hired some very bad VPs. The result is that certain crucial leadership roles turn over very frequently, sometimes multiple times a year.

At Patreon, I worked under the most toxic managers and skip-levels of my entire career. Charisma and 'visibility' are rewarded above all else. Managers steal credit for the work of ICs and throw them under the bus when it's convenient. Executives harangue you about how you're not working hard enough, but wouldn't know what to do with you if you worked a 12-hour day.

Strategy is muddled and vague. The product is dated, janky, and buggy.

Leadership avoids confronting real problems in favor of papering them over, and people who speak frankly about issues are ignored, punished, or pushed out. Many managers are ineffective or even despised by their reports. The company operates in a constant crisis mode, and there's always some new fire that needs to be extinguished.

It's an intensely political workplace, and it's not uncommon for beloved, long-time employees to be randomly fired because they lost some opaque power struggle. Often, those employees are women of color.

Employee turnover is incredibly high and morale is quite low. I would not advise joining this company.

Really listen to the feedback here and in pulse surveys. Don't dismiss it. It's not just because of layoffs or a couple bad hires. You have a systemic, cultural problem.