Uber

I interned at Uber ATG while it still existed (self-driving unit). I had the opportunity to work with a lot of talented engineers in the machine learning space.

Upper management is the big issue; this transfers to Uber main as well. Even as an intern, I could tell that the new CEO (Dara) says a lot of pretty words but ultimately commits to nothing of value. He doesn't speak directly to the truth, nor does he have a clear logical plan he is willing to be honest about.

He was clearly brought in to turn a profit (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), but he didn't really display a solid understanding of innovation as he went about his monetary goal. For example, many self-driving companies don't have a separately dedicated R&D unit, yet Uber's did (and was burning cash).

Why wasn't his first step to reduce the size of the R&D unit (like Aurora did immediately after buying Uber ATG)? He didn't break down the problem logically; he just decided to jettison the whole thing after he waited around too long.

Make sure your words have substance; many engineers prefer logic and facts over "kool-aid" or smooth talk.