Terrible founder makes it a terrible place to work
Pros
Hires lots of good people, although retention is bad, so they don't last
Cons
Here are the "core values" UpKeep totes, and the reality of them: Progress over perfection: supports a culture of mediocrity so the founder won't feel threatened. There is no constructive feedback and room for progress. Grit over prestige: "grit" means answering slacks from the founder at 10pm and over the weekend. People over profit: the biggest joke of all. Classic "we are family" gaslighting, while in reality the founder and the company couldn't care less about you. The company is not investing or innovating, and has been surpassed by newer startups in the space. If you have to work directly with the founder, I would strongly recommend taking the role. He has a persona he puts on, but is actually very emotionless and cold. He treats the company as his personal playground, and micromanages to the extreme. He doesn't care about people, or loyalty. He is only interested in yesmen that won't challenge him or overshadow him.