Very smart people work here, but their technical expertise is ignored. This creates frustration and a vicious cycle of repeating the same thing over and over because doing it right the first time would've meant to listen to the technical experts and that can't happen, because execs and middle management know best.
Commercial works on a "if we don't like the data, we'll just make it up"-basis. But it's not their fault, it's the mean technical experts who aren't producing data good enough. So most of their feedback is "make it look better" or "try harder".
If you're high enough in the hierarchy, you don't need degrees or certifications to be an expert in any and every field. You just are. So all your ideas should be considered valid even though you have no experience in such field and have no idea what you're talking about.
Free food is used as bribery and they're not even shy about it. They need 75% participation to the employees survey? Pancakes. They need help processing data? Extra snacks. Low attendance at the company updates? Free lunch. Although you'd need something to help you swallow the unbelievable amount of rubbish they feed you during the company updates, so I guess it's fine.
Execs are a work of art. The CEO needs to learn to manage his emotions and anxiety and not to make it everyone else's problem (and maybe learn what Envisia does). The COO is a wonderful person, but his spine shines very rarely (nice to see when it does though). The CCO likes to use quotes and fancy words to make it look like he's got something to say, but eventually it's just easier not to listen to him at all.
Progression? Only if it plays into someone's agenda. Merit doesn't live here.
Middle management is a joke. I'm including all of them, because the good ones turn a blind eye when they witness toxic behaviours from the bad ones. There's a lot of this culture in Lightcast: "as long as it doesn't affect me, it's fine". If you fall under a toxic manager, don't bother reporting it. The company already knows, although HR will pretend not to, to make you feel like they're taking on your concern seriously. If you do report toxic behaviour from your manager and ask to change because of incompatibility issues, what they'll do instead is schedule mediation - which looks more like couples counseling - and send you on an afternoon where you can sit there while your bully can deny everything you reported and blame it on you, because you're too soft and take everything personal. And cherry on top, you can't leave, because if you leave mediation then you'll be blamed for not "making an effort".
You can speak up. They even have an anonymous email service that you're always encouraged to use. But there's nobody on the other side to help if you need it. They'll schedule plenty of meetings for you to repeat the same things over and over. "I'm afraid that this person will be vindictive towards me", "I'm scared of saying the wrong thing", "This person brags of having fired people, I am afraid of going against them", "I don't feel safe coming to work". At the end of the day, you're on your own, and it'll be on you to save your mental health and your career.