Product Hunt Reviews

- It's pretty fast paced, goals can shift, metrics can change, but that can be a good thing

Sadly, Product Hunt is just going downhill and it seems like it’s an old family dog struggling for its life that nobody has the courage to let go of. It looks like it’s being kept alive for nostalgia, it is not a serious business or company. The new management may be the final nail in the coffin, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the company is in its last few years. There was a general feeling among many employees that the goal of the massive layoffs in October 2023 (where 60% of the company was fired after new management came in) was to free up funds to finance a group of friends' travel club, cosplaying as a startup despite being a 10-year-old company. Some opinions and examples based on first-hand experience: ▸ Catastrophic new CEO and Leadership • Management rejects data and data-driven decisions And even worse, will actively tell you to not look at it and are the opposite of data-oriented. This creates an environment where slackers thrive, and where the poor performance or lack of work of some employees goes under the radar, not to mention that direction of work is null. • No Vision or Mission. The company lacks a clear vision or mission. Employees are told to not expect it to come from leadership and to "find it themselves,” leading to chaos and uncertainty. Visions and missions also constantly change based on recent conversations the CEO has had. This results in employees being unsure of priorities and fearing termination for choosing the wrong "vision." Buzzy tech words are the motto and nothing is tangible. • Unsafe and Uncertain Environment. Employees are repeatedly let go without clear reasons and are treated like disposable assets: firing 60% of the company, later trying to rehire some of them, hiring new people, letting them go two months later, repeat. It creates a climate of extreme instability while the people left watch it happen and fear for their turn to come around. It seems like the CEO sometimes wakes up and decides that you need to go today. • Nepotism is king While I was at the company, multiple employees were fired and replaced by management’s friends and previous employees. Many employees strongly feel like the new CEO is getting rid of everyone from the pre-layoff age and getting all of his friends on the payroll. ▸ Toxic Communication and Work Culture • Toxic Communication Communication is awkward, indirect, and inauthentic. Leadership will make you sit in a circle and share your life trauma with your coworkers whom you barely know or do communications workshops to build “trust” but are incapable of putting into practice themselves or giving anyone clear communication, feedback, or building real trust with their employees who are all terrified of being let go at any given moment. • Blatant Gender Bias Based on experience and observation, male employees received unsolicited raises and promotions, have had their title grossly inflated after an extremely short time at the company, or have been told (quote) that “their growth opportunities are endless” while female employees are not getting the same opportunities or speeches, even when they are high performers. • Most employees I’ve talked to share the opinion that female employees are not being taken seriously, not consulted for opinions where their leadership is directly engaged, are overseen, female contributions are often dismissed until repeated by male colleagues, and public messages from female employees are frequently publicly ignored. I could go on. It has become so obvious that many employees have shared their discomfort with it.