Gives an illusion of an AWesome experience
Pros
Put simply, my experience at AWeber was really fun. The company culture was a blast - nerf gun fights were the norm, legos were everywhere, and I got to spend my hour long lunch break playing arcade games and watching movies. There was all you could eat, delicious, free food at lunch, and all of the free coffee and soda that you could imagine. Every once in a while, we'd be surprised with events and parties, and there were often opportunities to go to outside of work events (like Phillies games or trips to Six Flags) on the company's dime. The other benefits, such as full health coverage, were also incredible (and rare). There was 401k matching and profit sharing, and I felt very well taken care of in these respects. I'd have to say, the best part of working for AWeber were the awesome people that worked there. Even when they days were stressful, I was always laughing by the end. There was a very family-like feeling to the staff when I worked there (though I fear that this has changed since the company has expanded).
Cons
Unfortunately, for all of the benefits, AWeber was a place where I was constantly fearing for my job due to frequent, unexpected firings. While I worked there, there were several "purges" in which many longtime, loyal employees were fired all at once without explanation. This was also peppered by random firings every so often. There was always this underlying fear that if you didn't show complete, 100% enthusiasm about the company, that you would be fired. I understand wanting to get rid of toxic people in the workplace, but the CEO did not have any compassion for employees who were feeling temporarily burnt out or frustrated with the workplace. As much as we'd all love to think that no one ever feels frustrated toward their boss, it is just a reality of working anywhere for a certain amount of time. Instead of handling these frustrations professionally, the CEO has an "off with their heads" sort of mentality and will fire on impulse. I feel like I was lured in by a fun company culture, only to realize pretty quickly that if you do not "drink the company kool aid" to the highest degree, you will soon be fired. My word of advice to someone working there would be to enjoy your time there, but to leave before you get fired, because you very likely will. To be honest, the CEO is probably one of the biggest problems with AWeber. He, and much of the upper management, are known for being notoriously sensitive to criticism, even when one of their core values is to invite feedback. If you search around the internet, you can find evidence of the CEO writing snarky responses back to angry customers instead of trying to figure out a way to soothe their frustrations. which was always difficult for me to stand by as an employee. He has also been known to cancel projects at the last minute, even after employees have dedicated years of work to them. The powers that be are very opposed to change and refuse to keep up with the latest technologies, even when they lose customers because of it. Their technology has fallen way behind because of this, and that is not something that you can afford to do in the tech world. When I was hired, I was promised that AWeber would be a place in which I could grow, and that they always hired with hopes that their employees would retire from the company in 50 years. Unfortunately, any attempt I made at being promoted was squashed, and I watched as other employees who were led to believe they would be promoted were held in their same position without any sign of promotion. Eventually, my rose colored AWeber glasses fell off and I decided to part ways with the company in exchange for a place in which I feel much more secure in my position and have much greater room for advancement.
