Stash

Engineering and Product Direction - Look, it's been a very hard year. There is no point denying that, and the reviews were accurate. But things are slowly changing. New technical leadership is clearing house and building momentum against a new technical vision and approach. They've removed many options, doubled down on quality, and empowered teams to take ownership of their domains. There was lots of good noise from the recent on-site about owning the technical future.

Remote/WFH policies - taking a mature approach to hybrid work, putting the decision in the hands of individuals and teams. Offices are there if you want or need to use them, but there's no pressure.

Mission-driven people - Probably the biggest asset at the company. People want to do the right thing for the customers and understand why we do what we do.

Problem space - It is unclear whether the company's business model has a place in the current environment. The problem space has evolved since the company's formation, and it is no longer that investing tools are unavailable to most people, but instead that people don't have the money or confidence to invest. As a subscription service, this is problematic when "free" alternatives exist.

Panic mode - The leadership team doesn't exude calmness for the company. Decisions flip-flop without leadership being clear about what's causing the change in direction.

Chasing fads - The lack of clarity on the product vision causes the team to chase fads. The biggest historical example is Crypto, delivered so late that it missed the hype cycle. Similar fads are being pursued right now.

Lack of Stash history in Leadership - Whilst the new thinking is helping the team move forward, the lack of history in engineering and product leadership causes the team to spend time "rediscovering fire" or criticising decisions from people who have left.

Build a vision for employees to rally around. You have employees who are attracted and understand the mission, so exploit that by providing a compelling vision for the product and company.

Re-evaluate whether the product now has market fit given the changing landscape. What needs to change in the product to address the current needs of customers?

Keep a space in leadership for long-time Stash employees. These people have great context for historical decisions and provide your link between the new direction and the staff doing the work on teams.