Deeply toxic, fear-based culture and inept leadership team. Rampant in-group favoritism and top-town, authoritarian management style. Throwing people under the bus is done with Olympian-level athleticism. The legacy CEO has ZERO charisma, surrounds himself with sycophants, and has long been in denial of the cultural problems. A common refrain from leadership is “figure it out” with no interest in helping their teams problem-solve. Those that succeed do so by punting things over the fence to others, creating a culture that rewards mediocrity and yes-manship, and pushes those that are high performers to misery and stagnation. This is evident in how fast ex-FAANG and top talent leave or are managed out. The real culture is a comical inversion of their core principles. Extreme ownership? Leadership never roll up their sleaves, have massive egos, and blame downward. Compassion? Leaders frequently humiliate and demean their most junior subbordinates in public forums, and scream at them in private. Excellence? The most mediocre professionals thrive through cronyism. Diversity? On certain teams you will struggle to succeed and be treated as an “other” if you are not part of the majority group.
The culture at Eightfold seems more focused on theatrics to appease and flatter leadership, rather than encouraging an open pursuit of truth and innovation.
But decent compensation right? Nope, not when you consider the poor work life balance, lack respect for the “unlimited” PTO nobody takes, and a solid 65 hour work week with daily late-night calls with the India team.
These aspects collectively contribute to a challenging work environment that jeopardizes the potential of the company. I hope this feedback serves as constructive input for improvement. For those considering working at Eightfold, know that the reviews and rumors are not exaggerations - it is a remarkably unhappy work environment.
