Realistic Review from a "REAL" employee
Pros
Being realistic, this company has its ups an downs. Having worked full time here, I'm at liberty to discuss all of that. The pros : 1. The engineering and product developers/designers are treated really well a. They have good salaries b. Good work hours c. Good managers d. Good team and benefits 2. The building/location isn't bad. Its not San Francisco/Palo Alto but it isn't Millbrae/San Bruno either. 3. The products are definitely interesting, exciting, touches millions of lives around the world 4. Some really smart individuals work here 5. Paul (one of the co-founders) is awesome, and some of the managers are also great 6. The fridge is clean (yes, I run out of pros here).
Cons
This is where things are a little ugly... 1. Non engineers/product-dev are treated terribly. While I do understand that being an engineering company, the engineers matter a lot, IXL needs to realize that without sales, marketing, recruiting, the company would cease to exist. The product designers/engineers get great benefits, are moving to a new fancy floor in the building, have flexible hours and breaks etc. whereas the non engineers have none of that. 2. Some of the managers, not pointing fingers here, need help, and by help I mean need to be replaced. 3. The company lacks an important aspect of a healthy life - coordination and communication between departments. The company lacks a COO. 4. Management claims upward growth, however there is very little room for upward growth in this company, bonuses come slow, raises are small, and when they tell you they're a "start-up" please don't believe that. 5. The work-space and office plan is drab and boring. Neutral colored cubes and furniture. 6. Favoritism - Some of the managers openly display favoritism, and it reflects on the projects that the person gets etc. This is an unfair advantage to those not 'favored'. 7. False information - This is my biggest gripe with the company. IXL is NOT a startup, and should stop advertising as one. They are a corporate like any other. They do not treat their employees like startups do, they're not flexible like startups and some of the managers should go back to the big firms that they came from because they are not ready for a smaller company. I feel some of the managers strive for one thing but the way they work and act is completely the opposite. You can not want to run a "startup-ish company" but treat your employees and practices like a big company would. All in all, for engineering, this company is great, for the rest, not so much. Also, to the earlier review titled "New Low". Completely agree. Stop posting false reviews!
