Snap

• Competitive compensation packages (but once you’re in, you’ll understand why)
• Great HQ location

• Lack of transparency on strategy and vision.
• You don’t have to be Facebook or Amazon, but you have to have some sort of competitive advantage. Separating social and media aren’t going to cut it. There are a bunch of apps that already do that. This is a huge gap for a company that’s supposed to be worth billions. I have yet to see anything that suggests that there’s any type of long-term strategic planning. I could barely get teams to show me a roadmap for the quarter, and it was needed for my job!

As a result, Snap:

• Can't keep top talent. Top talent wants to know what they're working towards. That doesn't happen here. You're expected to work in a vacuum and pretend to see the bigger picture—except...there isn't one. It's all in Evan's head. Priorities shift literally every day and are based on nothing more than gut feelings.

• Slow moving: Any reviewers that say Snap is fast-paced are disillusioned or lack experience. Meetings are for show, constantly pushed out, cancelled, and/or never re-scheduled. There’s very little autonomy, and projects are micromanaged. There are no performance reviews, so goals (if they are even articulated) are constantly refreshed or pushed out quarter over quarter.

• Morale is low, and the existing culture perpetuates this: Some long-timers aren't receptive to meeting new people as the company grows and bringing them into the fold. It’s a “fend for yourself” environment where survival of the ruthless reigns. Some people are just mean/rude.

• Internal Communication: Nope. There is none. Have a suggestion for a new product/feature? Or maybe an anecdote to share that will help boost engagement? You’re out of luck finding a forum to share it in. The only feedback is in the form of app feedback, and even that is a black box to the person who reports.

Basically, Snap is a place where you try to look as busy as possible and impress Evan/your leadership, without actually doing anything that’s moving the “camera company” forward in a meaningful way.

It’s been very disappointing working here. Much like the app (Snapchat), the company (Snap Inc.) leaves a lot to be desired. I was hoping for world-class and just haven’t seen it yet.

There’s a bunch of people rooting for Snap Inc., so it will be up to some bold souls (or Evan singlehandedly—which is more likely) to get to anything resembling success.

Just start over from the beginning.

Onboarding is mediocre. Stop telling people that they define the culture. If you want people to be kind, creative, and smart, then start looking for that in the talent you recruit and hire.

People don’t buy into council. In fact, it, along with a host of other feel-good internal activities, should be the first things to go in layoffs/cutbacks. There’s way too much focus on employee well-being and social responsibility for a company that isn’t profitable. Instead, try telling Snap’s unique story in more depth and explaining what’s in store for the future during onboarding. Two days in Malibu doing feel-good activities is a waste of time and money.

Implement performance review cycles and consider not announcing promotions. People are resting and vesting—doing the minimum amount possible in order to just keep floating along (see also, the Blind app for validation). It’s not the best look for a company that prides itself on being innovative.

You may bring in top talent, but they either leave soon after or underperform because of a culture that encourages the image of success rather than actual results. Changing this will change the current trajectory of the company.