BetterUp reviews

I left a stable, rewarding career to join BetterUp, enticed by its image as a mission-driven unicorn startup. The reality was anything but. The CEO, Alexi, lacks the ability to lead through change with vision or grace. His leadership style hinges on fostering fear, uncertainty, and doubt—tactics that breed chaos rather than cohesion. Internally, BetterUp operates like a twisted version of The Hunger Games. Survival requires abandoning your values and playing desperate political games to impress the "OG" inner circle of leadership. To succeed, you’ll need to prove you’re “zesty,” a “craftsperson,” and “playful”—arbitrary buzzwords that hold more weight than genuine leadership or expertise. For potential senior leaders: think twice. You’ll likely find yourself drowning in politics, with no room for authentic leadership or values-driven decision-making. The disconnect between BetterUp’s glossy marketing and its toxic internal culture is glaring. For customers and potential customers: be aware that BetterUp’s leadership structure is riddled with confusion and misaligned priorities. With titles like Chief Information, Innovation, Information, and Impact Officer or Chief People, Community, Talent, and Impact Officer, it’s no wonder critical decisions falter. No one is truly advocating for the customer experience. What could go wrong inevitably does. BetterUp is a masterclass in how not to scale a company or lead with integrity. Proceed with caution—if at all.

Disorganized middle management, unrealistic reviews, understaffed for the challenges ahead, one product/contract away from the next layoff, and VC/Stakeholder driven (top down). - Understandably there are competing agendas across the different domains and it shows. You'll face challenges here of threading the needle. - Upward promotions are there but its very stagnant based on current staffing and the strict review structure - you have to over invest but that is a risk as it's no guarantee. - This is a very VC driven company with last minute product changes coming from the very top and with no input from the teams. This is a clear reflection of the CEO and it has led to numerous failed attempts at launching the "next big bet". - If you're an engineer you need to keep boundaries and stick to them otherwise they will use you to the last drop and put you away wet.