Pros
Interesting space (industrial AI). Some brilliant people on the tech side. Well-intentioned personnel across most functions. Above-average compensation. Impressive-looking board of directors.
Cons
Visionary founder/CEO (admittedly brilliant in his field) who can't see the forest for the trees. Leadership appears powerless to rein in his disruptive habits, which, while well-intentioned, are frequently misguided and squander precious resources. In earlier stage companies, this can be expected to a degree, but not post-series C. Marketing leadership severely lacks the experience and competencies (software, startup, and general B2B marketing practices) to navigate the company to its next stage of growth. This inexperience has created a culture of constant, needless urgency. It doesn't help that those in leadership handle stress poorly, and tend to pass the blame before self-reflecting. The tactics stemming from this inexperience resemble an effort to brute-force growth – and the expectation is to work nights and weekends, which is unfortunate and unnecessary. Work smarter. It’s not a stretch to say that the company strategy is opaque – or at the very least, disjointed and removed from the reality of market requirements. Cronyism is rampant, which unfortunately leads one to assume that the prospect of positive change is unlikely. As a result, turnover has been remarkably high, losing some very talented long-term employees who have become an asset to the future potential of the company.
