Pros
* Platform supports bleeding edge research in neurostimulation and neural electrophysiology - incredibly interesting stuff that has the potential to make a real difference for patients.
* Company partners with world class neurologists and has neuroscientists on staff, and thus working at Rune means you get to interface with these brilliant individuals.
* Company has phenomenal prospects, and a path to get there. The OKRs are the perfect balance of aspirational and achievable.
* CEO is an embodiment of 'conscious leadership' - a good listener, eschews the cult of busyness, has been known to play the accordion while his dog sings along, and is a formidable intellectual force.
* CTO is a strong technologist and insightful philosopher about the human/tech interface, which has yielded world class CI/CD practices/pipeline and a strong pro-autonomy, pro-engineer ethos.
* The Director of Product is highly intelligent, creative and patient. He also has a parrot, which is a solid indication of good character (and/or of being a pirate).
* The team is filled with individuals who are as kind as they are talented. While they can be a quiet bunch, certain situations (the right one-on-one convo; hackdays) reveal an awesome creativity and enthusiasm that I will miss.
* Positivity is a key value of the company, and there is a lot to be positive about.
Kontras
* While their website lists self-awareness as the top company value, I didn't find that to be true. Many *individuals* embody it, but it doesn't drive the company nor shine a light when trying to resolve conflict. What is this value's "even at the cost of X" (a concept written about on academy.nobl.io) - as in, if the value is that important, what will we sacrifice for it? I'd tend to think "self-awareness... even at the cost of comfort in the moment" or "even at the cost of positivity in the moment." Self-awareness is the best investment in positivity over the long term, but can involve some discomfort in the short-term.
* While the company has talented, team players and a great tech stack, they have some execution problems. I won't go into what they are, but I will say that they are tech startup "usual suspects." However, the company's "positivity bias" makes these standard problems really difficult to discuss and thus get about the business of solving. Self-awareness would be a perfect foil to this problem, but unfortunately this value is not a priority when push comes to shove (as I see it).
* This company has higher turnover than it should. While anecdotes are not data, this trend should be taken seriously if it continues.