Looks Like a Rocket Ship, Flies Like a Dumpster Fire
Pros
I started with a team of genuinely passionate, like-minded people. There was a strong sense of excitement and camaraderie, we even discovered we all followed the same sport religiously, which brought a great vibe to the early days.
Cons
Toxic Management & Gaslighting Culture: New ideas are not welcome. If you come in with experience and try to contribute, you’re quickly shut down and told to “listen and learn.” When strategies fail, leadership shifts blame instantly and without hesitation. Managers pretend to support you in private, but behind the scenes, employees are routinely blindsided by surprise performance plans and impossible expectations. Unsustainable Workload & Lack of Balance: The company glorifies overwork. Expect 13+ hour days, weekend work, and pressure to always be online. Taking time to recharge is treated like a lack of commitment. Sales targets were copied from the US and pasted onto the APAC team with no localisation. Despite repeated feedback about the vast market differences, targets remained unchanged, making them virtually impossible to hit. (You'll be constantly compared to the US team when you're not hitting target) If you request time off, whether for personal reasons or mental health, you’re guilt-tripped and reminded that time away will make it even harder to meet quota. There's a clear message: if you're not always available, you're not serious about success. Micromanagement & Zero Autonomy: Regardless of experience, you're micromanaged at every turn. Independent thinking isn’t just discouraged, it’s penalised. Success is defined less by results and more by how closely you conform to a narrow way of thinking. False Promises & Poor Compensation: No healthcare, no equity, and ongoing promises of “it’s coming” that never materialise. Bonuses and incentives are vague and inconsistently applied, with frequent goalpost shifting. High Turnover & Fake Reputation Management: The company has lost many employees, especially in the sales team, due to the culture and burnout. Instead of making meaningful changes, leadership instructed remaining staff to flood platforms like Glassdoor and Google with positive reviews to mask the real issues. If you’re wondering why there’s a cluster of glowing reviews in close succession, that’s why. It’s more damage control than genuine praise.
