Poorly managed - Senior Software Engineer Backtrace Employee Review

1.0
7 Nov 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

It's near union square It's hosted inside Work-Bench

Cons

This startup is young and yet has has seen more than a reasonable amount of developer attrition, because management has no idea what they're doing. If you look on their about page, most of the engineers are remote, because that at least protects them a little bit from having to interact with management. You can even see it here on GlassDoor. As of this writing, 2 of the reviews are obviously fake, and management thinks they're actually going to fool people. This is a little preview of how they'll treat you if you work here. The product is not focused. The process that goes into deciding how the product should evolve is done without education, experience, or discipline. The culture is toxic. Employees hide from management by working out of the office as much as possible, and management hides from employees in the same way. Work/Life balance is a joke. It's always "heads down" time. Management has on many occasions pressured people into working evenings and weekends, saying this is how you get ahead in your career.

Explore other reviews about Backtrace

5.0
10 June 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Interesting work Supportive learning environment and helpful coworkers Solid financial footing Impressive and stable technology Proper remote work environment and communication styles Strong engineering culture

Cons

I was hesitant after reading the negative reviews here on glassdoor, but I've been pleasantly surprised to find that they do not accurately describe this company. They could probably have been true at an earlier point, but I think that the culture has evolved and is in a good place now.

3
4.0
9 Nov 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

* Company's product fills a critical need in the market. Backtrace is only two years old and the list of clients includes Nvidia, Comcast, and Fast.ly. Also two other huge tech companies I can't name without getting fired; their names start with letter A. * Startup with real revenues from real customers. * Technical challenges are hard. * There is a so much to learn and it is straightforward to take on more responsibilities. You can take on as much as you can handle.

Cons

* Work is demanding. Problems are hard, and we move fast. I have only worked for one other startup, and that one was more demanding, still... * Co-founders are not experienced managers and they are learning on the job. They got some people management stuff wrong early on but are paying a lot more attention to defining clear goals, performance management, and communications. I have seen a lot of improvement. * Not enough positive feedback from the top. Co-founders do talk about successes like winning Amazon's contract (huge!) but they often just want to jump to the next challenge. I do get that they want to satisfy the investors, but sometimes I think a keg party would be a nice touch :-).

4
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