I hope this advice helps those considering Howdy. My experience with them, involving a partnership with Gather, was extremely negative. After resigning from my previous job, I was drawn to a new position at Howdy. However, my time there was short-lived and fraught with issues. Initially, I spent a day setting up the project, followed by two days finishing the PR and merge it of a predecessor who had left abruptly. Despite my efforts, I wasn't assigned any new tasks. Surprisingly, just a week and a half into the job, I was fired on a Wednesday, with the reason cited as taking too long to complete the PR—a task the previous employee abandoned after a week due to boredom, but somehow the fault was placed on me.
Their rationale was a need for speed, which was confusing, especially as I had completed the task within the sprint deadline. This dismissal wasn't exclusive to me; another colleague from a different company was also let go. This experience led me to question Howdy's decision-making in partner selection. Initially, they only agreed to compensate for the time worked, disregarding any severance, until I demanded it in an email.
From this, it’s clear that as a developer at Howdy, you're just a cog in the machine, largely unimportant in the grand scheme of things. The real focus is on the partner, regardless of their quality. My advice is to carefully investigate any potential partners, especially if Howdy lacks a track record with them. I wouldn't recommend joining Howdy; as a developer, you might feel undervalued and expendable. If you’re paired with Gather, consider walking away—it’s not the opportunity it seems. Above all, think carefully before joining Howdy. They don't appear to properly evaluate their partners, and you could end up being escorted out unexpectedly.
