Tier10 – Disconnected Leadership, Poor Communication, and No True Regard for Employees
Pros
Co-workers were the one redeeming part of the job. A small group of genuinely kind, talented, and funny individuals who made the day-to-day more bearable. I enjoyed the occasional downtime chats and getting to know them as people. Unfortunately, that sense of camaraderie didn’t extend to the CEO, who created an entirely different, often highly uncomfortable dynamic.
Cons
Communication from leadership was consistently poor. Most interactions happened via Slack with little to no face-to-face communication or Zoom calls, even when clarification was clearly needed. Direct conversations only seemed to occur if something went wrong. Leadership across both Tier10 and its parent company, Team Velocity, is largely hands-off. There was little support or mentorship, and no clear path for professional development or growth. Performance check-ins or discussions about progression simply don’t happen. There were no process documents or onboarding materials. Most learning happened through trial and error, which often led to preventable mistakes. Many operational processes are outdated or inefficient. Despite obvious issues, there seems to be resistance to change or improvement. Individuals without creative backgrounds frequently directed design projects, which created confusion and undermined the creative process. CEO would sometimes start a design in one format without considering how it needed to scale to 15+ other sizes, creating extra work and design inconsistencies. Getting project approvals was extremely difficult. Feedback was often delayed until the last minute, which impacted deadlines and quality, and accountability was rarely shared. Errors were common in work orders, and you are expected to catch and correct them, even when they were avoidable with basic quality checks. Mistakes were not addressed with direct feedback. Instead, work would be quietly reassigned to teammates, increasing their workload and leaving the original employee working on the project without an opportunity to improve. Working with Team Velocity was challenging. Despite being remote-friendly in theory, the culture often felt punitive. Remote team members were publicly called out in company-wide meetings for things like accidentally unmuting or having cameras off. This came across as unprofessional and immature from leadership. Although the company presents itself as values-driven and family-first, the reality didn’t reflect those claims. In my experience, employees were often treated as disposable, with little regard for morale or professional growth. Bottom line: If you prefer a structured, collaborative, growth-oriented environment with clear communication and leadership support, this may not be the right fit. But if you're okay with top-down direction, limited feedback, and working in a production-heavy role, it may suit you.