Pros
There were some capable and well-intentioned people in the business, and there were opportunities to learn from challenging product and client situations.
Cons
The company had some good people, but the overall environment felt disorganised and lacking in clear direction. There was little visible accountability for the absence of a strong product vision, and many of the same problems seemed to be discussed for months prior to me joining, without meaningful resolution. Delivery often felt slow, manual, and reactive. Rather than building scalable, well-thought-out product solutions, there appeared to be a reliance on manual processes and quick fixes to meet client expectations. While these approaches may have been presented as strategic, they often felt short-term and unsustainable. As someone who takes pride in the quality and integrity of the products I work on, I found it difficult to feel proud of what was being released. The business would benefit from stronger leadership, clearer product direction, more accountability, and a greater commitment to building products properly rather than relying on workarounds.