After being at Defense Unicorns for over a year, I can confidently say this has been the most disappointing professional experience of my career. What started as a promising opportunity quickly revealed itself as a deeply dysfunctional organization plagued by fundamental leadership issues.
The company operates as a textbook “old boys club” with a tight-knit inner circle surrounding the CEO and CTO. If you’re not part of this clique, you’re treated as expendable regardless of your expertise or contributions. This nepotism is glaringly obvious during layoffs, where friends and family members of leadership mysteriously remain untouched while highly skilled professionals are let go.
Speaking of layoffs - three rounds in three months speaks volumes about the financial mismanagement and planning.
The company’s approach to these reductions has been particularly callous, even laying off employees days before scheduled maternity leave (which I suspect violates employment laws). Adding insult to injury, they immediately post job openings for the exact positions they just eliminated while simultaneously hiring Skillbridge interns full-time.
The decision-making process is equally troubling. Technology choices aren’t based on what’s appropriate for the task but rather on whatever the CTO or inner circle finds “cool” at the moment. The CEO regularly micromanages projects despite having no relevant experience, overriding expert recommendations and explicit client feedback. This leads to constant confusion, rework, and growing distrust from both staff and clients.
Financial forecasting is abysmal. Promises made during recruitment about company stability prove false within months. Benefits like “unlimited PTO” exist in name only, as employees feel watched and discouraged from using it. The 401(k) contributions were reduced without transparent communication, making employees question their value and future with the company.
Perhaps most embarrassing is the company’s childish branding, which leadership touts as clever while clients and partners find it utterly unprofessional for an organization supposedly supporting critical missions. Most employees avoid wearing company merchandise out of embarrassment.
The management structure is top-heavy with too many managers and not enough engineers. Decision-making gets bogged down in endless meetings rather than productive work. What began as one of the best workplace cultures I’ve experienced was systematically destroyed in just one quarter through poor leadership decisions and lack of transparency.
The most frustrating aspect is that Defense Unicorns had everything needed for success - talented people, market opportunities, and resources. What it lacks is competent leadership, strategic focus, and the ability to utilize the high-caliber talent they somehow managed to attract.
