Impactful product but severe job insecurity and shady financial practices
Pros
-Obviously a very cool and impactful product. There are real people whose lives are changed by the treatment. The company was good about highlighting patient stories to keep your motivation going. -Generally try for a modern, sleek, and up-to-date product in a world of ancient medical devices.
Cons
-Abysmal job security. I have never seen a startup hire and fire people so often. No one is safe: everyone from the CEO to accomplished researchers who literally pioneered the key technology have been suddenly laid off. Well, one person is safe: the tyrant running it, who suffers from "best little boy" syndrome and wants everyone to tell him how funny he is. -Tied into that, management has done some extremely shady financial games to the detriment of their employees. For instance, anyone who worked there before their Series B had all of their shares diluted by a factor of 2000. Yes, 2000! If you paid $10,000 to exercise options, after the Series B your shares were worth $5. This applied to former and current employees: the current employees were re-upped in shares, but all the time they spent vesting was a complete waste. Consider whether you trust your equity to be worth anything if they make it to future rounds.
