The company started off strong, but during my tenure, things began to shift. A new manager took over who seemed unfamiliar with the nature of our work. Morale dropped significantly as employees were placed on performance improvement plans (PIPs) with unusual frequency—and, in many cases, unfairly. It appeared that certain individuals were being deliberately singled out.
The justification for the PIPs was that they were intended to 'motivate' employees, which I found entirely misguided. In reality, it felt like a tactic to push people out rather than support their development. In my experience, no other company has used PIPs in such a punitive and demoralizing way.
Employees were often afraid to speak up, and those who did were penalized. Leadership made operational changes without informing teams, only to later reprimand employees for not following protocols they were never made aware of. Internal meetings were reportedly held to decide who should be targeted next, creating a toxic, fear-driven culture.
When employees are treated as expendable or used as scapegoats for leadership failures, trust erodes—and morale follows.
The recent 10% layoff was just the latest in a series of quiet cuts. Hiring people from well-known companies has done little to improve conditions or restore direction.
The company's future feels increasingly uncertain. Despite public aspirations of going public, there's been no visible progress. In contrast, a competitor in the same space successfully went public last year and now enjoys prominent visibility through high-profile partnerships, including branding on an NBA team’s uniforms and within their arena. Based on the current trajectory, it's hard to imagine this company reaching that level of success.
