When you have a leader who is unprofessional and unstable you can only wind up with a highly toxic environment. When they are rude, manipulative, and have a fragile ego, the effects can ripple throughout the entire organization, leading to a culture of fear and instability.
Chris is the most “wanna be” person I’ve ever encountered in 15 years in tech. He wants so terribly to be a “cool tech CEO” but the reality is that he’s more like the Dollar Store version of Gideon from Mr Robot.
Here’s life working with your CEO:
Chris frequently uses verbal abuse, including yelling at employees and calling people stupid or morons to their face. He has told female employees to "smile more" in client meetings- “it makes the client like you more.”
New employees have been verbally accosted during onboarding for not picking up the pieces from people who were let go prior to their arrival. When confronted Chris offered no apology or admission of his emotions being unprofessional and out of control for a workplace. Instead he visibly squirmed like a child in his chair.
Chris blames employees for his own poor decisions and financial mismanagement. He gives in to client demands under pressure, leading to significant budget overruns, and then takes his frustration out on his team. He folds like a cheap lawn chair when challenged. After giving away 30k in change orders, the project was 30k over budget. He’s actually too dense to connect these dots.
Poor leadership is an understatement. He has negative leadership ability. Despite receiving glowing reviews from teammates and clients, he has fired employees for "performance" reasons and even *withheld pay* without cause. He refused to approve a small, $180/yr software license, showing a lack of understanding of the fundamental needs of a development team. —You read that right, denied $180 PER YEAR for his team.
Early on, multiple employees warned about the Chris’s behavior, and it was quickly confirmed that the reality was even worse than described. The company identity is a CEO who struggles to run the business and creates a stressful and demeaning environment for everyone around him.
I’d love to say the co-founder helps keep Chris under control, but the reality is he’s nowhere to be found and Chris is out there flailing wildly like one of those used car lot inflatable men- while trying to run an agency. It's no surprise they're bleeding talent left and right.
Oh- and the worst healthcare benefits I've seen in my life. Whatever you are imagining, it's worse and more expensive than that. 5 days off for the birth of a child.
