Pros
The teams are brilliant, hardworking, collaborative, and just the best people. Emotional intelligence abounds, as does a love for the work and brands. Despite the cons listed, in my time here I had by far the healthiest work environment I’ve experienced in 13+ years in Media.
Cons
Process, training, organization, role definition/expectations, etc. were cloudy, inconsistent, and often misdirected by anxious and distracted leaders. Decisions were made, political strategies happened, and work was delegated to boost the eventual resume and interview fodder of fleeing leadership, and set unsuspecting team members up for the chopping block in their wake. The Microsoft acquisition was a challenge for everyone, as acquisitions always are. We were promised grand things that never came to be by the new, overly-zealous and emotionally removed execs - additional support, job stability, new and challenging projects, Xbox pride and brotherhood, etc. Layoffs then hit in waves, some leadership selfishly made a run for the hills while gaslighting the team. Truth and transparency across the board could’ve empowered the cowardly to handle things differently.