Pros
- Competitive compensation package - Supportive and collaborative team members
Cons
Leadership at the executive all the way down to management issues: - No grasp of how software is developed and maintained. - Constant hand-wringing about cost control while other areas of the company burn money. - Obsessed with AI as a panacea for every problem with no understanding of the risks. - Willfully ignores critical security vulnerabilities for years at a time. - Incapable of planning anything. Whole company meetings are always announced last minute and are a flurry of chaotic schedule changes. - Firing critical people who know how to execute in favor of lackies. - Broken promises around being a “remote first culture.” Leadership is now demanding a return to office. As a result of the above: - Massive employee turnover and retention issues - Lack of trust between many teams - Laughable bonuses and raises - Useless options and no 401k match ## Advice to leadership Take your golden parachutes and leave # Claude Neutered Review ## Title Significant Challenges ## Pros I worked in the software engineering (internally known as Research and Development) department at OpenGov for three years. During my tenure, I encountered several challenges that I believe are important to note for potential employees or stakeholders: * Insufficient technical understanding at the leadership level, leading to unrealistic project timelines, frequently changing priorities, and difficulty making informed decisions about tech investments and strategy. * Mismatched priorities, with intense scrutiny of software development costs while not applying the same rigor to spending in other departments. This led to friction and a feeling of development being undervalued. * Over-reliance on AI as a solution to complex business problems without adequate analysis of the risks, limitations, and integration challenges involved. * Security vulnerabilities and technical debt were not always given sufficient priority and resources to address promptly, leading to increased risk exposure. * Last-minute planning and communication issues, such as all-hands meetings being called with little notice and essential decisions being communicated chaotically. This made it difficult for teams to plan work effectively. * High employee turnover, particularly of highly skilled technical staff, leads to knowledge gaps and instability in the engineering org. * Eroding trust between teams and departments, exacerbated by leadership changes and lack of consistent direction. * Compensation and benefits that were not competitive with industry standards, including minimal bonus and equity structures. While there were also positive aspects to the work and some talented colleagues, the above issues created a challenging environment that hampered the company's ability to execute technical initiatives. I hope that shedding light on these challenges will help [Company] to address them and improve the experience for current and future employees. I'd advise potential employees to ask detailed questions about the company's technology strategy, leadership structure, and compensation philosophy to clarify these areas before deciding. ## Cons I worked in the Research and Development department at OpenGov as a software engineer for three years. During my tenure, I encountered many challenges that I believe are important to note for potential employees or stakeholders: - Insufficient technical understanding at the leadership level, leading to unrealistic project timelines, frequently changing priorities, and difficulty making informed decisions about tech investments and strategy. - Mismatched priorities, with intense scrutiny of software development costs while not applying the same rigor to spending in other departments. This led to friction and a feeling of development being undervalued. - Over-reliance on AI to solve complex business problems without adequately analyzing the risks, limitations, and integration challenges involved. - Security vulnerabilities and technical debt were not always given sufficient priority and resources to address promptly, leading to increased risk exposure. - Last-minute planning and communication issues, such as all-hands meetings being called with little notice and essential decisions being communicated chaotically. This made it difficult for teams to plan work effectively. - High employee turnover, particularly of highly skilled technical staff, leading to knowledge gaps and instability in the engineering org. - Eroding trust between teams and departments, exacerbated by leadership changes and lack of consistent direction. - Compensation and benefits that were not competitive with industry standards, including minimal bonus and equity structures. While there were also positive aspects to the work and some talented colleagues, the above issues combined to create a very challenging environment that hampered the company's ability to execute technical initiatives, I hope that shedding light on these challenges will help [Company] to address them and improve the experience for current and future employees. I'd advise potential employees to ask detailed questions about the company's technology strategy, leadership structure, and compensation philosophy to clarify these areas before deciding.
