Middesk Reviews

Long, but absolutely critical to consider before joining: Please be aware that my contributions were celebrated up until the moment I was terminated without warning - you can catch photos of me smiling with the rest of the team in a Middesk shirt two days before I wrote this comment. I am a professional with a long history at successful startups, many of which were exited amicably and provide references to this day. Until now, I have never left a bad review for any former employer. I relocated overnight to assist this company during a time of need, provided solo coverage of operations while everyone else - including the founders- went on vacation, and produced celebrated content in the absence of direction or management. Rest assured any reply that characterizes me as anything less than dedicated and honest is mere face-saving PR drivel, if not outright libel. ***Of particular note, in our 1:1 only a week prior to my termination, the CEO had told me to relax because the quality of my work was quite good, and that ample warning would be given if we headed down a "bad path." Strangely, and in obvious direct opposition to these promises, this termination occurred less than a week later, directly following a company outing where I won a competitive video game against the CEO. For the remainder of that night, he would not speak to or look at me, and it was only under visible duress that he shook my hand before leaving. The very next morning, my 1:1 was rescheduled in preparation for the termination. You can't make this kind of pettiness up. ***To be 100% crystal clear, I firmly believe I was ultimately fired for beating my boss in an arcade game in front of our coworkers. After the termination, the CEO misplaced my office keys and threatened to cut my severance pay unless I could produce them. (Worth noting this severance pay was established in a verbal agreement without any conditions about office property to begin with.) I want to be unmistakable here, to help talented people avoid misstepping into this office: Like many Silicon Valley would-be tech evangelists, the CEO's first impression is the result of a practiced revenue generating mask. This story reflects the vindictive, petty personality you can expect once the veneer wears off (or see directly if you pay close attention to his behavior around the office.) Even if you believe yourself in his good graces, be aware that he is not sincere, and there's a definite predatory slant to his deeper thinking. On top of this, the CEO is highly confused, unsure of how the industry he works in uses his products, is willing to hire and fire with very little information, and is ultimately unwilling to adjust for his volatile feelings. Call center workflow: Expected operations task turnaround time is 1 minute. Operations employees are expected to action accounts over their lunch period. 12 hour days are not considered exceptional. "Flex" time in the absence of any actual PTO or RTO solution. Yes, it's the kind where you're indiscriminately criticized for using it depending on how adaptable the management is feeling on the days you need off. Large partnerships are largely unbilled pilots or fallback solutions. Goals and results are kept nebulous to account for the lackluster framework given to any individual assignment or project. Expect to be given extremely broad directives that can only be satisfied by political maneuvering - somehow this culture has been achieved in a team of only nine. Significant issues with diversity - utter lack of any sign of initiatives or racial diversity in core management team. We were given a seminar explicitly on making our behavior more attractive to women. Closely following this, management is making the mistakes characteristic of the inexperienced leadership of a small group of nerdy individuals (all hires to junior roles fall in the demographic of women from 22-28, creating a gendered power imbalance that smacks of both a predatory nature and unconscious sexism.) There's a "core management" team in a company of nine.