The culture in the product / engineering area of the organization has quickly deteriorated into toxicity; great folks are lead with fear and uncertainty. It is clear the leadership at the highest level (CTO) has a specific way they would like things to be and has selected a handful of folks to uphold their cause in order to support that narrative.
For all the messaging that goes out saying the team is empowered to make decisions and take ownership, the reality is the exact opposite. The CTO is an obsessive micromanager who gets involved in almost every conversation. This level of involvement has only stifled open and honest communication in public channels. Folks spend more time being mindful of what is said in the CTOs presence (as well those who are known to report back) in order to not draw negative attention versus feeling they are able to share their thoughts and opinions. Often times those negative interactions lead to being berated and insulted publicly.
It won't take long to understand that long-time and well-respected employees have left Exos because of this. Do not be fooled into thinking it was the usual churn and turnover we've seen during pandemic. Also don't be led to believe it was due to a vaccine mandate. It's because the Sr. Leadership Team continues to praise the technology and product leaders as being great when they are anything but.
