Planet was a frustrating, disappointing flop. I predicted during my exit interview that Planet was going bankrupt within the next 12-18 months.
They bought the SkySats in Apr 2017 just to keep us from competing with them. They talked big during their purchase, then ruined the SkySats with an inept, terrible, ground processing system, no cloud cover assessment of the imagery, and no product line to convey/sell SkySat imagery to others. Any complaints about the SkySat program were met with silence. Then layoffs. Then changing the subject... perhaps you would like to work with Dove imagery instead? Come sit in SF.
My role was completely spoiled by the lack of automation. At the end of my 2 year tenure, I was looking at 200+ SkySat images every 10 days to see which ones were cloudy. Customers plainly said the cloud masks for all SkySat images were completely unusable. It was impossible to automate my daily duties because of the lack of cloud cover assessment, and the mis-architected ground system.
I watched in horror as my incompetent manager drove other smart people out. I watched him completely ignore my skillset for two years running. I watched him put others in charge of things that I should have been doing, because I was more knowledgeable and experienced. Then, after I quit in frustration, calling out this guy during my exit interview, he was promoted. Absurd management at its finest.
I have no idea why anyone would work in that chaotic place. It was incoherent, like an incandescent light bulb; it should have been a focused laser beam, with all talent moving in lockstep. I gave up trying to improve things within my first 12 months. I simply waited until my financial incentives paid out, then left.
