“People-First” in Name Only. Chaos in Practice
Pros
High collaboration Able to work closely with team Have positive cash flow My days (A day off once a month)
Cons
Leadership doesn’t know what it wants or what it stands for. AI was once off-limits, now it’s the only thing they can talk about, like they’ve been industry pioneers all along. The reality? They’ve been playing catch-up for years, constantly chasing whatever’s trending instead of leading with vision. The company still loves to say it’s “people-first.” That might’ve been true once more than four years ago. Now it’s a hollow tagline trotted out between layoffs and micromanagement sprees. Growth opportunities have vanished. Salaried employees are forced to log hours in Excel like factory workers from a bygone era. Trust is gone, replaced by fear and spreadsheets. Every six months there’s another round of layoffs. Leadership hides behind vague “business realignments,” never offering transparency or accountability. They’ll brag about hitting positive cash flow one month, then quietly cut staff the next. When I joined, they said the company was a year away from going public. It’s been “12–18 months” for years becoming a moving target with no finish line. What was once exciting has turned into a slow demoralizing loop of false promises and reactionary leadership. The company boasts an internal DEI group(to show “we care”) but the executive team remains all white and holds all the power. The DEI group talks the talk but has zero strategic influence. It’s PR wrapped in a board-room façade. This isn’t a "people-first" company. It’s a panic-first company pretending it still has direction.