When I took my job at moneyGenius (then known as WeyMedia since they rebranded), I thought I was leaving behind a toxic culture. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was in for.
My introduction to the company was good—the team I managed was wonderful, there were plenty of opportunities for improvement, and the CEO listened to my ideas (and initially allowed me to implement some of them). I heard rumblings of “Just wait, this won’t last,” but things seemed ok.
…and then the other shoe dropped.
The CEO is truly awful. His micromanagement stifles all potential for real progress. Instead of focusing on new ideas or strategies, he can’t let go of things that might have worked a decade ago but are wildly outdated in the present environment. He controls even the tiniest details, down to the exact spreadsheet colour, column width, and font size. And processes are gospel. Oh, but they don’t work for you? Too bad. If it’s a documented process (and trust me, there are maaaany), you’re doing it.
The founders talk about “acting like owners,” but what that really means is they want you to take on more work than you can possibly do yourself, sit down, and shut up. Feedback isn’t well received—in fact, pushing back on things you don’t agree with typically results in outbursts from the CEO, sometimes in private meetings, other times publicly in a Zoom chat. Despite leading the content team alongside my co-managing editor, I had virtually no agency to make decisions; everything had to go through the CEO for approval.
The team is small, but they’re some of the loveliest people I’ve ever worked with. Unfortunately, unhappiness is rampant and turnover is high. There’s simply no way to do your best work (or be happy) when you’re in such an unpredictable, hostile environment.
Do yourself a favour: if you’re thinking about applying for a job here, think again.