Leadership often operates with a “rules for thee but not for me” mindset. Employees are frequently held to standards that leadership themselves do not follow. Managers speak about professional development and growth, but in practice these conversations often lead to broken promises or opportunities that never materialize. The work culture is heavily rooted in hustle to the point that work-life balance is essentially nonexistent. Workloads are enormous and frequently misaligned with both title and compensation. The expectation is that employees simply absorb this pressure rather than question it. Feedback culture is another major challenge. Despite messaging that the company values constructive feedback, criticism is often the primary form of communication. At times this criticism is delivered publicly in Slack channels rather than privately, which creates an environment of anxiety rather than growth. Turnover and terminations are also a visible part of the culture. During my time there, I personally witnessed more than ten employees being let go. It created a climate where many employees felt they needed to leave before they might be next. The pressure placed on employees can feel disproportionate to the work itself. Mistakes or operational issues are treated with an intensity that makes it feel as though lives are on the line, which creates a stressful and unsustainable environment. What makes this particularly disappointing is that the company once had the foundation of something special. There was a time when people felt valued and recognized for their contributions. As the company grew, however, the focus shifted heavily toward financial outcomes without the same acknowledgment of the people whose work made that growth possible. Many talented individuals were alienated along the way. Achievements are often quickly dismissed with questions about why more wasn’t done, rather than recognition of what was accomplished. Over time, this erodes morale and makes employees feel as though their contributions exist primarily to advance the financial success of leadership rather than the collective success of the team. Ultimately, I chose to leave after realizing that my contributions, ideas, and hard work were frequently overlooked or credited elsewhere. It became clear that the growth and advancement I was promised were unlikely to materialize.