Pros
Amid all the negative press, it’s impossible not to root for Flock and believe in the product once you know how it works. It is very fulfilling to work at an organization that is driven by an ambitious mission and actually capable of delivering on its promises. I think that if Flock can overcome the existential threat of misinformation, and stamp out the new soul-sucking culture emerging from within, it could change our world for the better and be one of the most successful organizations of our lifetime. (Plus good PTO, great parental leave, decent pay, etc etc)
Cons
The Flock of today is unrecognizable from the one I joined a few years ago. I’m sure Garrett would say that’s a good thing, and it’s true that there has been a lot of top line growth. But from a work culture perspective, this transformation has been for the worse. Org changes are rampant. Newly hired and promoted leaders are neurotic and work obsessed; 3 a.m. email chains and working through weekends / PTO are increasingly the norm. Teams are also getting leaner as fewer backfills are approved, so everyone is stretched extremely thin. Leaders also openly and gleefully discuss using AI to put whole teams of people out of a job. It’s sickening the way they talk about it. If layoffs aren’t in the works right now, they’re certainly coming soon, and it seems like nothing would make people happier. More and more, I struggle to produce my best work for a company that seems motivated to drive me to burnout and then replace me. My team is working at least 10-15 hours per week more than when I joined, and it’s been a steady creep upward over time. As much as I love the mission, I see the writing on the wall here and it won’t be sustainable much longer. (Plus no 401k match, no bonus, casual sexism at all levels of the org but especially in leadership)