Rotting, bureaucratic, strange place - Anonymous employee Hypebeast Employee Review

So many structural problems at this company. Big picture, it’s an unethical slop factory. The company is churning out AI regurgitated news on (primarily black and brown) culture. And then using its status (or whatever is left of it) to sell that back to brands at a big premium. Zooming in. The entire business is built on squeezing every dollar possible to the extent of pumping out brand partnerships when they have zero to negative alignment. Every executive decision is meant to maximize dollars, with zero foresight in investing in the brand’s own voice or IP. This company has essentially already cannibalized itself. The company’s ability to produce original content has been destroyed after multiple rounds of layoffs that has removed some of the best and most creative voices at the company. Structurally, the most creative voices are purposely stifled by senior leadership to maintain status quo. Management is VERY toxic. Because the primary operations are run out of NY but most of the executives are based in Hong Kong, it’s created this opaque bureaucracy where issues are voiced in NY and somewhere along the chain, they disappear forever. Impossible financial goals are arbitrarily set. Layoffs and the financial freeze are justified by the inevitably missing of financial targets. For the last 4 years the company has been placed on permanent no promotions/raises. Executives are unreachable, goals are unattainable and the leadership chain makes accountability impossible. The executives are the only ones that succeed here, in a culture that’s manipulative and every man for himself. Junior to mid level employees here are constantly screwed over. I’ve seen bright young talent demotivated and demoralized in this toxic corporate culture. There is no plan. Most if not all the executive level leadership are lifetime Hypebeast insiders who’ve climbed up based on personal relationships with the CEO. They have no proven track records or industry success. The leadership knows little to nothing about editorial, publishing or advertising. I have no solutions except I know this place will only get worse.