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Oblong Industries

Is this your company?

Five stars on so many levels - Anonymous employee Oblong Industries Employee Review

5.0
Apr 22, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The best thing about Oblong is the people: Smart, dedicated, engaging, witty, multi-dimensional. This is the kind of place where there are too few not too many people, so you have a great opportunity to impact the business. You get to work on challenging problems but with super chill people who are just as comfortable discussing 17th century Dutch architecture as they are talking games and code. Benefits are solid -- better than most -- and no one is babysitting your every step. That being said, everyone works really hard so this is not a place for loafers or the insecure. Consistent sales growth indicates good upside. Small company but already international.

Cons

Because you make your own way at Oblong, those craving structure and clear direction won't do well. There is also a domineering head of sales who can upset plans in pursuit of his own agenda.

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Oblong Industries Response
9y
Thank you for taking the time to share your insights. What a great description of your teammates! Indeed, we work with a fascinating group of folks here with diverse interests and backgrounds. Oblong is a great fit for those who work well independently, though as we grow, we are becoming more structured and roles are becoming more defined. I’m glad you feel your work is challenging and that the benefits here are solid!

Explore other reviews about Oblong Industries

5.0
Mar 24, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great Management Work Life Balance Remote

Cons

not many cons, just do your job

2.0
Aug 7, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fascinating technology, literally grew out of Hollywood special effects visualizations and looks awesome compared to other tech in corporate offices and meeting rooms Strong, focused, dedicated team Visionary, inspiring CEO Treated employees with respect and courtesy, up to and after termination (at least in my case) Basically, all the same positives mentioned in other reviews.

Cons

Major layoff in late June 2017, about 25-30 people out of about 100 total (numbers are guesses, likely not exact), hit all divisions - sales, engineering, etc. Basically everyone who had been there less than a year, plus a few others. For many of us who had been recruited and left other jobs (some relocated for Oblong, then got let go only a few months in) the reduction prompted a “why did you staff up a few months ago?” reaction. If they start hiring again in 2017 or 2018, I would suggest negotiating a golden parachute into any role in case they decide to suddenly modify staffing levels again. As cool as the technology is, in some ways it is still a solution in search of a problem. Adoption and growth after landing an account is hard, manual work (as is, frequently, just keeping systems running as there are many interconnected systems and potential points of failure). Very, very dependent on one large customer (who is also having financial difficulties and layoffs of their own) and efforts to diversify revenue sources have been unsuccessful. Channel development (and channel relationships/trust) is minimal or non-existent. Similar revenue challenges and mass exodus at primary competitor don’t bode well for this entire tech segment.

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