Brain Power (MA) Reviews

The CEO is awful. The company is nearly entirely run by interns as those are the only people the CEO Ned Sahin can control. They hire you based on a role and then switch your responsibilities as soon as the contract is signed. Benefits are a joke and virtually nonexistent. The mission sounds nice on paper but in reality the real mission is to glorify Ned and stroke his ego. He thinks he’s the expert in everything and will literally try to do your job for you. There’s also the expectation to work 10 hour days. Run for the hills, seriously! This isn’t hyperbole.

On paper, Brain Power sounds great. If you visit the Jobs page on the website, it sounds even better. Unfortunately, everything you see is a lie. You'll be bait-and-switched to perform tasks you didn't sign up for. The turnover rate is alarmingly high. You're expected to work 9.5 hours per day for pennies and poor benefits. Per year you are given only 10 vacation days, 6 sick days, and 8 holidays. The company is powered by interns since nobody wants to stay for more than a year (or you'll be laid off). Despite being a startup company, you are unable to make a difference at Brain Power because you're tied to a leash 24/7. The CEO mistrusts employees to perform the duties for which they were hired. Discussions are non-negotiable because the CEO's decisions are set in stone. Anything you create is bad, and the CEO will literally sit at your computer and type the edits he wants himself. Career-wise, it's a step backwards, and on a personal level, the hostile work environment manufactured by the CEO alone isn't worth any possible benefits. Ideal candidates to work at Brain Power are people who do what they're told and keep their mouths shut. The direction of the company is unclear. Project scopes drastically change on a daily basis and things you may have worked on for months are simply scrapped. For a company that prides itself on helping those with barriers that impact their mental health, management does not care about the mental well-being of its employees. Everything you do is wrong. You will never be praised; only scolded. You'll get yelled at for having a cohesive thought in your brain that doesn't align with the CEO's vision, to the point you may become afraid to suggest anything. You will be chastised in public for not having immediate success for projects that normally require months and months of planning. However, all of the above is null and void for those who attend certain prestigious schools (e.g., Harvard, MIT, and private high schools such as Milton Academy): These individuals receive preferential treatment when it comes to employment, responsibilities, and promotions.