Pros
When I joined the ambience was so positive, you could find like-minded people easily and almost everyone were very spontaneous sharing and collaborating (exception the couple chaps favorite to the founders, who were impossible to work with). The energy was amazing and we had opportunities to try ideas. Unfortunately that was blinding because they told some of the 20-somethings they were hiring from all around the world that "you are so amazing just keep being amazing and have lots of fun", and some teams had zero accountability while others struggled under pressure. You need to have a childish and very emotional side to be comfortable, and make sure that you are friends with the right people to get a good payslip, opportunities, and promotions. Then everything should go well for you. Also goes well if you are taking care of something vital but not fancy that requires hard work, but keep in mind that it doesn't guarantee acknowledgement of your value. It also helps if you like booze, perks and parties. People supported each other a lot, but there was also a lot of drama because personal and professional stuff were always mixing. We spend much time out of office together (expats have nobody else in the city). All the positives there have a dark side.
Kontras
I'm not sure when it all started going downhill, but there was a moment it was obvious: once the previous leadership team stabilized things a bit, the new CEO, the founders, and the investors started sacking everyone in C-level and replacing them with a bunch of yes people scratched from the bottom of the barrel. It doesn't matter what you've achieved, if you were promoted by the old team you are as good as dead. Worst part is that the new C-levels have barely any relevant experience to play the part beyond "whatever the CEO and the founders please". Some C levels were sacked very fast because they were strong voices while others played along with the CEO and prepared their exit leaving with full pockets and handing over their teams to those who will do the sacking (or encouraging people to leave). If you think all this is high-level and irrelevant to you as a modest member of a team, wait until all that rains down rewarding the nodders and penalizing everyone else, lack of professionalism when making decisions, personal stories mixed with work, and thought censorship. There was a period of time that women dating managers got promotions. It even got to the point that two women were married to managers and promptly promoted way high in the company at the exact same time. Also don't dare to talk about unions, family needs, or issues with predatory co-workers who seem incapable of keeping it in their pants at work. Some employees are being put under "performance review" for asking the wrong questions, complaining about those topics or supporting those who speak up. Also happens to those disagreeing on something that they know more than the manager about. Literally, if you thumbsup the wrong comment on Slack then People Experience team will keep it on their list of reasons to fire you and they will tell everyone that you are toxic. With all this lots of great people with real knowledge left so definitely not a great place to work or grow professionally anymore. Never again a fancy startup if I can avoid it.
