Pros
Good benefits Passionate co-workers dedicated to the mission Flexibility and autonomy
Cons
The company has consistently missed its window to go public, misreading macroeconomic conditions and backing itself into a corner where it conducted two mass layoffs to dig itself out of a financial abyss, a testament to the severe lack of strategic vision from leadership -- and individual contributors pay the ultimate professional price. Scattered strategic approach to the market - attempts to position itself as an AI leader but other solutions in the market appear to have relatively weak AI capabilities, so things look better by comparison. Poorly defined career pathing -- and upward reviews of managers smack of a perverse tactic for growth since actually being honest would put your own job at risk. Domain experts are treated like 19th-century factory labourers and have only become more expendable to company leadership. People in the department, who were always touted as the company’s most vital weapon, are possibly the most ill-treated and disrespected. Company could go the Blackberry route (i.e. relying on a few key contracts and self-aggrandizing belief in having the "killer tech"), when it's actually ripe to be overtaken by a halfway competent competitor. Someone skilled/charismatic should be at the helm to bring the company into the future. Publicly boasts a client list containing Fortune 500 companies, but it's considered a big win when paltry contracts come through. The only saving grace is the massive US government contract, which is subject to competition and by no means guaranteed in the future. Company rolled out a cyber product which landed like a lead balloon -- completely unprepared to square off against more established players in the market and misreading the cybersecurity space entirely. Rather than addressing this, the company opted for a splashy, public pay-to-play relationship with a "leading cybersecurity figure" that doesn't seem to be bearing any fruit. Company received ~$500M in VC funding in 2021 and squandered it, embracing a delusion that would it could sell high and low globally instead of focusing on key specific markets/clients. Many hired during that time of growth either left or were made redundant. New VP-level positions came into existence over the past few years, which led to various fiefdoms being formed. Corporate politics is now rampant in DM, which is even more egregious when juxtaposed to the saccharine HR newspeak that everyone is constantly subjected to. Rumours dominate most forms of discussion. Lip service is paid to employee feedback that come from anonymous surveys, feedback and recommendations which are then subsequently and summarily tossed in the bin. It doesn't feel like you're actually being listened to. Warning of the most recent layoffs was received the day before they were to be carried out, an ethically cruel approach that undoubtedly caused sleepless nights for so many. It’s also utterly naive from a corporate security perspective. The memo leaked almost immediately to the media (via an article published by TechCrunch). If this is how a company who touts itself as a leader in corporate security operates, then companies and prospective employees may want to take caution. A sale could ultimately be the best option.
