- Over the years as the company expanded, the disconnect between the highest level of management and the regular employees grew somewhat. Although the management was verbally committed to hearing us out, in practice it was hard to voice criticism (naturally challenging, admittedly) in the public town hall forums. There were several proposed suggestions on how to properly receive this kind of feedback anonymously, but nothing solid came of the discussions.
- Company culture had slipped somewhat. Part of that was a function of the company getting larger and more spread out, but I did also notice less external cross-team bonding over the years.
- Internal team communication and cohesion is very good, but cross-team communication and collaboration can be a little strained at times. Each team functions with high independence/less direct pressure from the top, so each team can be stuck with tunnel vision at times. This problem has been alleviated significantly by having regular cross-team leadership meetings, but it still crops up from time to time.
- Market stability. Tribe is very good at what it does and has established itself as a thought leader in the niche it occupies, but there's always an underlying concern that it's tapped out the market and struggles to pivot into other sectors. Moreover, the business depends on the continued provision of social media data, which, as the Cambridge Analytica scandal proved, is a tap that can be disrupted quickly and without warning. In response to this concern, the company has moved to monitor additional new forms of social media like TikTok and IG Stories.