Liven is one of the most poorly managed companies I've worked for. Despite having an excessive number of C-level executives and managers, there is a striking lack of real leadership or strategic direction.
The sales team is fundamentally misstructured. There are no account executives or business development managers — only account managers who are burdened with unrealistic new business targets. These targets are handed down without any real support, planning, or viable go-to-market strategy. At the same time, account managers are expected to maintain a large portfolio of dissatisfied, poorly serviced clients.
The company’s focus is skewed toward securing overpriced, long-term contracts with large enterprise brands — deals it simply cannot fulfill. Liven lacks the product maturity, delivery resources, and project management capability required to execute on these contracts. Promises are made that the platform cannot deliver on, resulting in a pattern of over-promising and under-delivering. Many of the solutions pitched are disjointed or superficial — more Fugazi than functional.
The internal culture is equally concerning. Despite a surface-level commitment to staff wellbeing, the reality is toxic. Hiring and firing happen arbitrarily, often with little clarity around roles, responsibilities, or performance expectations. There is minimal onboarding or training, and no clear career progression. Sales targets shift frequently and without explanation, creating an unstable and demoralizing environment. Hitting commission is close to impossible.
Finally, payroll practices raise red flags. Superannuation payments are consistently delayed — often by two to three months — which speaks to deeper issues in operational reliability and employee respect.
