Anima Reviews

I joined the company excited by the mission and energised by the potential to contribute to meaningful work in the health tech space. But that enthusiasm quickly gave way to concern, as the reality of the internal culture became clear. While the company presents itself as a place where passionate people thrive, the reality is far more challenging. Burnout is common, turnover is high, and the work environment is structured more around control than trust. Employees are expected to put in long hours, take on responsibilities outside of their role, and regularly justify even the smallest pauses in their day. The message throughout the company is that there's "no room for ego," yet any form of questioning, feedback, or vulnerability is discouraged. Rather than fostering a collaborative, supportive atmosphere, fear and silence take over. Many people keep their heads down to avoid being the next in line for public criticism or sudden dismissal. Despite an intensive interview process, new team members are not given space to grow or settle in. From day one, there's a need to prove yourself constantly—often through daily written check-ins and close monitoring. The high expectations aren't matched with the support or autonomy required to meet them. When challenges inevitably arise, the response is often to shift blame to the individual. There's little evidence of leadership reflecting on whether internal processes, culture, or management style might be part of the issue. Instead, the assumption seems to be that the person wasn’t the right fit—no matter how many times that story repeats. Even in a mission-driven business, how people are treated day to day matters. A company’s culture should support and uplift its team—not leave them feeling undervalued, isolated, or fearful. If you’re considering joining, I strongly recommend speaking with multiple former employees to get a clear picture of what it's really like to work here. No role is worth compromising your wellbeing.

Anima sells an inspiring story: a mission to transform healthcare, a high calibre team, and a culture driven by excellence. Unfortunately, the day to day reality doesn’t live up to that narrative. The culture is toxic by design. Fear, control and public criticism are used as motivators, while exhaustion is worn like a badge of honour. Boundaries don’t exist; late night messages, weekend work and constant urgency are the norm. You’re told to “take ownership” but real autonomy is almost non existent. Every decision ultimately runs through the CEO, whose behaviour is erratic and deeply invasive. People are routinely doing the work of several roles, from strategy to repetitive admin, under unrealistic expectations. Burnout is inevitable, and when it happens it’s framed as a lack of drive or “cultural misalignment.” Turnover is extraordinarily high and very few people last beyond six months. What’s most disheartening is that the product itself doesn’t actually work as advertised. Despite all the rhetoric about saving lives and automating clinical workflows, the product is unstable, the data unreliable, and the supposed breakthroughs are more marketing than reality. Teams are pushed to move faster rather than fix core issues, so the underlying problems never get addressed. It’s a place that confuses intensity with impact. The mission sounds great, but the execution, both culturally and technically, undermines it entirely. If you value integrity, craftsmanship and sustainable performance, you’ll find this environment deeply misaligned with those principles.