Pros
Great discounts on their (in general) not-so-great clothing Decent benefits HQ will throw down some money on nice offsite parties and housing Met some nice people who will hopefully wise up and move onto better things
Cons
Marine Layer HQ is the most toxic, dysfunctional, and performative workplace I’ve ever experienced. I echo every negative review on here. A friend once told me my stories sounded like a satire of startup culture. But they’re real. The CEO routinely talks down to people, makes wildly inappropriate comments during meetings, and, as others have pointed out, is in an open-secret relationship with an employee (skip the Coldplay show!). But the rot goes deeper than that (I don't even care that much about his ego-driven unprofessionalism, even though its atrocious, but it is important to understanding how the cards fall beneath him). HQ operates like a middle school clique run by a small group of friends who confuse exclusionary behavior for leadership and would be completely unprepared to thrive in a functional organization. If you’re not flattering them, you’re walking on eggshells (and many of the less-experienced/sycophantic employees think this is normal). Dissent (even polite, professional feedback) is treated like a threat. Suggestions and input are completed ignored (even when asked for!). Meanwhile, marketing pushes out lazy, dated, and problematic ideas and everyone just nods and smiles while talking badly about the lead behind her back. Employees are infantilized, patronized, silenced, and kept deliberately small. You’ll be trapped in a role while they downplay your accomplishments and dangle their confusing, completely made up path for “growth” like a limp carrot. It’s not career development; it’s psychological warfare dressed up in expensive branded rainbow hoodies. They'll feed you lip service about mental health while sabotaging it. Marine Layer HQ has mastered the buzzwords--"collaboration," "culture," "transparency"--but behind the scenes, the place runs on ego, deep insecurity, and optics. Advancement is non-existent unless you're in the inner circle. Talented people either burn out or leave. Run away if you value your professionalism, sanity, or career growth!