More Red Flags Than a Soviet Parade
Pros
There are some genuinely talented and well-meaning professionals scattered across the tech teams, exclusively below management level. If you're lucky enough to work with them, there are opportunities for learning and support on a peer-to-peer level
Cons
The company operates with a hire-and-fire mentality, and job security is virtually nonexistent. Speaking up about the lack of strategy or direction is met with hostility—anyone raising valid concerns is quickly labelled as “difficult.” They publicly position themselves as champions of diversity in STEM, but this is entirely performative. In reality, women are significantly underrepresented in the tech team, and mostly occupy roles in HR, finance, and sales. Female employees are treated like token faces—expected to be front and center during investor visits, with the CEO even insisting on their physical presence in the office during those times. It's a cynical and disingenuous approach that undermines any genuine progress in diversity and inclusion. Sales routinely overpromise to clients without consulting tech, and when delivery inevitably falls short, blame is pushed down rather than addressed collaboratively. There is no culture of learning, improvement, or even doing things the right way—just a constant scramble to appease management and save face. Leadership is the biggest red flag. The CEO is out of touch, surrounded by yes-men who do not challenge his views, and operates with a top-down authoritarian mindset. The CSO is more concerned with volume over value—producing research with little integrity. The CTO lacks both technical depth and leadership ability, and instead resorts to undermining subordinates to maintain the illusion of competence. There’s strict surveillance over working hours but zero accountability in management. When clients are unhappy, threats of termination come before any effort to understand root causes. HR is ineffective, often siding blindly with leadership regardless of legality or fairness. The CPO lacks experience in people management, and it shows in the way issues are handled—or more often, ignored. Internal communications often feel artificial, with obvious use of AI-generated content and minimal effort toward authenticity or employee engagement. There’s no retention strategy outside of hooking people with the visa.