World class talent, great technology and ideas, toxic culture, unpredicatable leadership
Pros
- The engineers are incredibly talented. - Supportive peers ready to lend a hand and help solve hard problems. - People didn't work in Silos and communication between groups was good - Significant responsibility is given to everyone - Test site 30 minutes away from HQ means opportunity for hands on work with actual rocket hardware - opportunity to learn a lot about rockets in a short amount of time - Financial situation seems good.
Cons
- Absurd hours: 60 hour weeks are expected. Appearances are more important than accomplishments. Burnout is common - CEO cannot let go of "his rocket" and allow the people he hired to do their jobs; unilateral, poor decision making hinders progress - Perplexing hiring decisions for middle management - Lack of recognition for accomplishments - CEO is involved in every decision, thinks he knows more than the person who designed, built, and tested the hardware - Executive's decision making driven by emotion - Firings seem random and create anxiety among employees - Executive publicly shames and belittles employees - Friends of CEO get preferential treatment and are allowed to make mistakes that delay the program without consequences - Frequent turnover and turmoil among directors and executive level - Good ole boys at test site misogynistic towards female engineers
