I was genuinely excited to join this company after an extensive interview process (three multi-hour interviews and several assignments). However, it quickly became clear that the culture and leadership style didn’t align with what had been presented.
By my third month, I was consistently requesting feedback, but my manager often didn’t reply to Slack messages or canceled our 1:1s. When I did receive feedback, it lacked clarity or actionable direction. It became clear that my boss / the founders had no idea what they wanted from me. I felt like they'd either given up on me, or stopped caring about what I did.
The founders are not bad people. But, they often act like they’re trying to recreate a college frat environment, which at times made me uncomfortable, particularly as a woman. Leadership frequently referenced past performance metrics from a former male employee without considering structural or contextual differences. Even when I found success, it would never be the same as what they'd seen in the past.
Although they spoke about “maturing the brand,” I found that goal wasn’t reflected in day-to-day decisions. The company’s public focus on culture and transparency doesn’t match the internal experience; few employees are actually in the office, and the humor or tone at the top often crossed professional lines.