-CEO Alexi is a typical startup entitled bro who surrounds himself with yes-men from his grad school or consulting days. He clearly enjoys the “idea” of being CEO than actually being a leader. He brags how enlightened he is by spouting inspirational quotes or going on about “stoicism”, etc. in company calls. It can be eye-rolling and cringey when he talks about himself. He spends too much time hanging with celebrities and “thought leaders” than the company or his employees. -Due to over-hiring during the pandemic, a lot of silent layoffs via PIPs going on since late 2022. -You are expected to have a cult-like devotion to the company and its mission, you need a religious zeal for “human transformation” and show it off as much as possible to get ahead in the org. If you don’t, you’ll be pushed aside. This creates a weird corporate culture full of passive aggression, toxic positivity, and over-empathy…no one wants to “rock the boat” or offer differing opinions or ideas. -Work/Life Balance is very poor, expect to work long hours. Meeting-heavy org, a lot of “this could have been an email” here. I’ve worked late nights, over weekends, Inner-Work Days, and even on vacation. You raise any concerns, you’re usually told by managers “this is a startup, deal with it”. The “High-Impact Behaviors” ironically weaponized against you so you work harder and harder until you burnout. -Internal talent development and career planning are de-facto outsourced to your coaches, so you really have to hustle yourself to move up in the org. But internal mobility is usually determined by favoritism and devotion to the mission than skill or experience. Thus, a lot of mid-level managers are poorly equipped to manage effectively and responsibly. -I encourage all prospective employees to research Positive Psychology, it forms the bedrock of the “science” at BU. If you don’t align with it, don’t work here. I also encourage you to look into “Workism”, it is everywhere here thanks to the bizarre company culture.
