Toxic new leadership undermines a once-great company
Pros
The company was a great place to work under the leadership of its founder and CEO. It offered strong products, a positive culture, and exceptional sales leadership. However, after the founder and president departed, the company’s direction and leadership changed significantly, impacting the overall employee experience.
Cons
Since the leadership transition, the focus appears to have shifted away from employees and more toward financial performance and investor perception. The company has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs, while at the same time hiring sales representatives who often seemed underprepared for the role. Much of the enablement function was reduced or eliminated, with an increasing reliance on AI-driven solutions. Leadership within my department was challenging (toxic). There was a noticeable tendency to favor individuals brought in from a previous company, which negatively impacted morale and team dynamics - leadership was clueless . The leadership style often came across as inflexible, with limited openness to alternative perspectives or collaboration. It was a “I know best because I’m so experienced so it should be THIS way” mentality . As a result, cross-functional relationships suffered (sales leaders didn’t respect dept leadership) and there was little partnership with sales leadership to reinforce training and enablement initiatives. One bright spot was the Sales Engineering organization. The team was highly skilled, well-respected, and led by an exceptional leader who fostered a strong culture and delivered real value to the business. Overall, while the company offers solid products and has talented people in certain areas, the culture, leadership decisions, and ongoing organizational instability make it difficult for me to recommend as a long-term career destination.