I worked on the design team at Keeper Security for a year and had the privilege of working under a truly exceptional manager, one of the most genuinely supportive, communicative, and growth-minded leaders I’ve ever had. They always had the team’s best interests at heart and fostered a culture of collaboration, trust, and encouragement. The design team as a whole is smart, kind, close-knit, and talented. That part of the company was something truly special.
But none of that matters if the CEO decides you’re next.
Leadership at Keeper, namely the CEO, operates on a foundation of fear, unpredictability, and ego. The CEO inserts himself into everyday team operations in a way that feels less like leadership and more like psychological warfare. He implements systems that devalue everyone below him, including a micromanagement structure where every design ticket, regardless of how many layers of approval it had already passed through, still had to be reviewed by him. That includes sign-off from experienced designers, team leads, and internal stakeholders, only for it to land in the CEO’s inbox for final say. It’s demoralizing. It screams “I don’t trust any of you,” and it crushed morale.
The CEO gives inconsistent, performative praise, telling me at a work party that I was “so talented” and that he wanted to see more of my work, while simultaneously undermining people behind closed doors. He frequently said things like “I have eyes everywhere,” which created an unsettling feeling of constant surveillance. When complaints were made about my performance, they were vague, delivered indirectly, and completely lacking in constructive feedback. I followed up multiple times for clarification, not to argue, but to grow, and received nothing in return.
Then I was abruptly fired.
Just hours after a productive and positive one-on-one with my manager, and shortly after a seemingly pleasant conversation with the CEO on a video call, I got a call from HR. They began to explain the reason, something about a freelance ad they believed I had posted (I hadn’t), but before I could respond or process anything, the call dropped, my computer shut down, a lock icon appeared, and I was completely locked out of all systems. No exit conversation. No feedback. No warning. Just erased.
This is what they do. I watched it happen to others. People vanish without explanation, and the rest of us are told not to ask questions. It’s fear-based leadership through and through. Every Sunday night became anxiety-inducing, not because of the work, but because we never knew what kind of mood the CEO would bring in Monday morning. That kind of cortisol should not be part of your job description.
Worse still, my health insurance was cut off that same night at midnight. I had necessary medication that jumped from $35 to $450. No notice. No time to prepare. No support. Just you’re gone.
If you’re reading this and considering taking a role at Keeper, please understand that no amount of talent, dedication, or professionalism will protect you from being blindsided. If you’ve ever wondered what it truly feels like to be just a number, this place will give you that.
