Feb 17, 2014
Lab49
Acquired by ION Group
Engaged Employer
Lab49 reviews about "pay"
52% positive business outlook
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Reviews by job title
25 reviews
4.0
Feb 25, 2015
It might not be the very best job, but far far far from the worst.
Current employee, more than 1 year
New York, NY
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook
Pros
As a current employee, I'm pretty tired of the bashing when it's generally unwarranted. Every company has issues, and in the end it's what you make of it and how vocal you are that makes your experience positive or negative. I've worked full-time and as a salaried consultant. Having seen the inner-workings of companies that paid me, or I consulted for, I can say that Lab is top-tier in most every aspect. The pay is competitive to the street, and the health benefits are fantastic for a small company. Your mobile is partly subsidized, and they will expense some training courses and conferences (if you present at the conference, or at Lab with an update of what you've learned). You're working on a different project 2-3 times a year, so there's always a change of pace / outlook, and a constant exposure to new technologies / frameworks. You're working with smart and dedicated people, who want to work with smart and dedicated people, who also want to improve their craft and share with their coworkers. If you're not a full-stack developer, you'll find opportunities to become so, either directly on a project, or on collaborations with your coworkers. If you enjoy technology, you'll find a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you. This place is not to be confused with Facebook or Google, but I've known people who've quit those companies out of frustration, too.
Cons
Some benefits could improve. The business model has changed in recent years, and there have been growing pains. This isn't to say that management hasn't been working to improve the process, they have, and they've solicited comments and thoughts from people on the projects, those on the ground that can provide the best insight.
2.0
Jul 7, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook
Pros
Working arrangements are pretty flexible, you get to work in the Gherkin and the pay isn't bad
Cons
There is a collection of very odd people working there (all of whom have little personality) and in the office there is almost no atmosphere. People rarely speak to each other. Working here will pay your bills but you won't come out of it with any lifelong friends.
1.0
Oct 6, 2014
Congratulations, you've found this page, so now you can avoid the pain.
Anonymous employee
Former employee, less than 1 year
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook
Pros
There are some good people here - Lab49 do pay well - but it's somewhere they put up with rather than love, and inevitably they don't last long.
Cons
I was here for a very short time, but in that time I onboarded others (nobody did it for me) and watched them quit too. Without going into detail - Lab49 makes everyone sign a non disparagement agreement - and having thought about what makes Lab49 not work, it's this: Correctness is based on authority. At actual technology companies, arguments are won with code. Other places look at what the leaders of the industry is doing, and do that. At Lab49, arguments are won purely with authority. Everyone else in the industry using tools designed for the problem at hand? We'll use tools designed for another purpose, because they're all wrong and we're right. Is it well known that a particular technology has particular limitations? We'll tell the customer we can do it and you'll do it because you said you're a good programmer. Paying attention to company culture is rubbish because the CEO says so. Etc, etc. until you quit. Quite often everyone knows Lab is actually wrong on something. but just can't do anything about it - I was invited to fix something with our technology for Lab out of hours because a manager couldn't actually get permission to allocate time to it, but really, really needed it done. I've worked at both technology and finance organisations. Lab styles itself as the former, but its definitely the latter: the employment record of most hires is finance, not tech. Nothing wrong with that, but if you want a genuine leading edge technology environment look elsewhere.
4.0
Mar 14, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook
Pros
The pay is good You get to solve complex problems You'll work closely with great programmers
Cons
Can't share your work Financial industry only Eventual burnout
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