Pros
- they pay salary (usually in time) - some benefits are provided (after probation period)
Cons
The CEO lives in a completely different world, has no idea what's happening on the ground, and doesn't care. Harsh micromanagement. C-level managers leave absurd comments in code reviews without any understanding or expertise in the specific programming language. There is no salary review policy. Even if you're doing several times more than when you were hired, your compensation won’t be adjusted. The attitude toward employees is terrible — the only way it could be worse is if they physically beat you. No recognition for excellent or productive work, for overtime, quality, or loyalty. None of it is acknowledged. But the moment you do something not the way they want — and I emphasize not the way they want, not objectively wrong — you are immediately treated like an outcast. Advice or counter-proposals from highly experienced professionals are completely ignored. Management believes they are the smartest and know everything better than anyone. Employees are fired on the spot, without warning or effort to find a replacement role. This applies both to people who worked for a few months and those who spent years in the company. As long as you accept low pay and carry a massive workload, no one touches you — not even a word of praise. But as soon as you "stick your head out", you're cut down immediately. Don’t expect any additional benefits. Strict office attendance policy. It doesn’t matter if you're sick or just trying not to infect others — you must take vacation or unpaid leave. Paid sick leave only starts after 5 days, and even then the payout is very low. Meanwhile, management often works remotely. The company “sells” developers to other projects at other companies. It has no product of its own — it’s just a body shop. Yet it still imposes its own rules. Employees are stuck between two conflicting sides: the actual client company and this one. Their interests rarely align, and it's extremely hard to work when you receive contradictory demands. Management doesn't keep its word. Verbal agreements mean nothing. Very poor treatment of employees — open rudeness, swearing, and verbal abuse are tolerated. Only the legally minimum amount of annual vacation days is provided. Nepotism is common — friends, acquaintances, and relatives are often hired. The management team is all related. These people don’t contribute meaningfully and often make things worse. It's easier to do the work yourself than rely on these “insiders”. The codebase is a disaster — old, messy, unoptimized, and nearly impossible to maintain. You never know where the next bug will pop up. There are almost no strong senior developers in the company. Mostly juniors and mid-levels. I recently realized why — seniors don’t stay here long.