Upper management just executes decisions by the CEO because they don't want to say no to him. The CEO is euphemistically described as "passionate," which is code for he yells at people a lot - he insults, berates and belittles them. This isn't rumor, I heard it myself (and to some extent experienced it) day after day.
Pay and benefits were terrible. When I was there, they didn't have sick leave, just general PTO - which could be fine, but they only offered 2 weeks of PTO, rather than the standard 2 weeks vacation PLUS sick leave. So if you need to stay home to take care of a sick child, you have to take PTO (working at home was strictly prohibited). The company does not contribute to 401k. Health insurance is very expensive.