Fast Moving Startup With Tons of Potential - Software Engineer Almanac Employee Review

5.0
Sep 12, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

If you want to work on some really interesting problems you wouldn't normally encounter that also have the potential to leave a big lasting impact then this is definitely a good place to be. There are some really interesting problems to solve at this stage of the company and all the work we're doing has huge impacts on the product and will continue to have an impact well into the life of the company. Everyone is affable and trying to pull each other up, which is a great environment to be in. It feels truly collaborative here. It's fully remote yet I don't feel a distance to my team at all with all the emphasis put on culture and team building. That said, I am excited at the prospect of more company-sponsored in-person work weeks where the globally spread team gets together to work side-by-side. Management is very receptive and responsive to feedback when it comes to company culture and the product.

Cons

Being remote and spread around the globe can mean there are often tons of video meetings in blocks, which can certainly feel like a drain on your own velocity. And can be mentally draining depending on the kind of person you are. The block of meetings can potentially take place at fairly awkward times depending on your timezone.

Explore other reviews about Almanac

5.0
May 9, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You will have a full understanding of the company vision and strategy to achieve that vision so that you can best perform your role

Cons

The market is in flux, changing faster than it ever has before for productivity and work tools. This means you must be able to be nimble, agile, and open to change

2.0
Oct 18, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Co-workers are incredibly talented, geographically diverse, lovely people. Direct managers have good intentions and listen to feedback even if they don't have the power to change anything. Once a quarter, we receive a random non-holiday day off. Co-working weeks in cool locations with boarding and part of travel reimbursed. Pay is good; benefits are not so good. Honestly, the worst medical/dental I've had in a long time.

Cons

If bike-shedding were a culture, this is it. Are you ready to have multiple meetings about padding and border weight yet ship without QA or ANY tests? Almanac is the place for you. Almanac likes to promote a healthy work culture through social media and blog posts, but don't be fooled. The opposite exists internally. "We work asynchronously," but they have multiple sync meetings daily. When employees live worldwide, someone is attending a meeting at midnight+ or before 8 am. "We are fighting burnout startup culture," but the CEO has hustle culture nostalgia (check out his Twitter). He explicitly says he rewards those who work nights and weekends, @ people after hours for non-blocking bugs, and schedules after-hour meetings/one-on-ones. You'd better have rock-solid boundaries because guardrails do not exist here. They had a social media post, something like "(*Forget) meetings, and camera-on culture." Yet they literally have a policy that states they expect cameras during meetings, and the CEO will call you out for it. During a large hiring push they advertised certain "extra" perks/benefits. As soon as that push was over those benefits were walked back. So many contradictions it makes one dizzy.

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