High potential overshadowed by toxic culture and politics
Pros
On paper, Chewy is a great company with high growth, financial success, and products/services that people like. Their customer obsession sets them apart, and the way they approach the customer experience is what keeps people signed up for autoship, which is their revenue bread and butter.
Cons
Their insistence on mimicking the Amazon way of doing things is limiting. Instead of building a culture that truly fits what they are telling customers, they operate in a way that is in conflict with a people-first culture. Unnecessary layoffs, harsh leadership, and a lack of empathy creates a cut throat culture where people are afraid to speak up and everyone is running around playing politics and positioning themselves instead of focusing on doing good work. Employee trust is extremely low due to a lack of strong, capable leadership. They stifle innovation through rigid processes and internal politics. Because they primarily hire from Amazon, they block themselves from creating a culture that truly aligns with what they tell their customers. Right now, if customers knew how employees are really treated, they would cancel their autoship subscriptions.
