Would not recommend. - Anonymous employee PassiveLogic Employee Review

2.0
Feb 18, 2022
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are people here that are a joy to work with, and there is no shortage of the informal, in-person conversations that help with learning. Especially for job-seekers looking to get a foot in the door at a technology-focused company, this is a great place to start (PassiveLogic has a 10% start up + 90% small business feel). There aren’t the rigors or pressures that one would find a more ambitious/serious startup, since the company doesn’t have a product yet.

Cons

Working with the CEO is impossible. He is dismissive of ideas that aren’t his own, even when he has no expertise or experience in that field. This is the first truly toxic work environment I’ve ever encountered. Numerous red flags that aren’t appropriate for listing here.

avatar
PassiveLogic Response
4y
TL;DR The OP did $0 of deals in 7 months. The replacement did 8-figures in 6 weeks. The delta speaks volumes about the mismatch. This response relates to our blog series on startups, culture, and HR. We are passionate about building authentic culture, and we decided to avoid the “corporate marketing speak” response, in order to open a conversation on issues that all startups have to juggle while scaling their teams. Our mission at PassiveLogic is to empower people through generative autonomy to solve the world’s largest climate challenge — the 180 degree opposite of “workplace nihilism.” We are an innovation first company. However, we are aware that not everyone is prepared for the rigors of a growth mindset, purpose-driven culture. Sometimes, there is an obvious mismatch between an employee and the company. While our culture is built on personal growth, mentoring, accountability, and empathy — sometimes an individual has personal struggles that are beyond what is responsible for a company to mentor, nor is that person healthy for the rest of the team. We offered the reviewer technical materials, training, learning opportunities, access to leadership and the product team, and a vibrant marketplace of ideas in our flat organization. This person chose not to engage with any of those resources, and blamed co-workers and leaders for a failure to succeed, lacking any accountability. The unprofessionalism exhibited in this retaliatory review is consistent with this person’s concerning behavior while part of the team. What organizational behavioralists explain is a thing we’ve all experienced with difficult coworkers: people who use words like “toxic” or “nihilistic” are typically reflecting their own traits, not those of the organization. This reviewer had several public meltdowns with multiple teams in the organization — we determined the behavior unhealthy for the team and it was time to part ways.

Explore other reviews about PassiveLogic

5.0
Jun 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This is one of the most unique professional experiences I’ve had. The company was built around a very ambitious vision for physical AI, autonomy, and real-world systems. I came to work here for Troy Harvey's vision and principled approach to design. It was inspiring to work with him, and the mission drove me to work hard to achieve amazing things. I hope to continue to work with him in the future. What stood out most was the ability to connect hardware, software, AI, product, and customer value into one coherent direction. That kind of systems-level genius is rare. And his type of leadership uniquely collaborative leadership hard to come by. The work was meaningful because it felt like we were building something genuinely new, and we were doing it together as a team with a set of focused goals. The best part of the culture was the exposure to big ideas and high expectations. If you wanted to grow, learn, and be challenged, there was a lot of opportunity.

Cons

The pace and expectations are intense. Communication could sometimes move quickly if you aren't paying attention because the company and the ideas were operating at a high level of complexity.

2
4.0
Jun 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

With Troy no longer in the CEO role, the company needs to prove that it can preserve what made it special. His absence will be felt, especially in the areas of vision, customer-market coherence, cross-org technical depth, and the ability to bring out the best in people. The company feels at best in search of direction and leadership without him. Troy was the kind of founder people join a company to work with. He had a rare ability to imagine what the world could become and then rally people around that future. He was a visionary systems thinker, but what made him especially effective was that he was also a team orchestrator. He could see how different people’s skills, instincts, and experiences fit together, often before they saw it themselves. That encouraged people do some of the best work of their careers. The company’s ambition came from that combination: huge technical vision, high standards, and a real belief in people. It created a culture where people were asked to stretch, but also where the work felt connected to a larger purpose.

Cons

This isn’t con per se. I’ve read some of the (curious) complaints below. These are self describing: Troy didn’t suffer fools. He was incredibly open to discuss, collaborate, and mentor. Sometimes it was a paradigm shift you had invest intellectual rigor to fully understand. But once you got it 🤯. You were always given many chances — probably too many. But if you were lazy, or didn’t put the intellectual effort, he would move on or replace you. As it should be.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All