Last summer, the CTO announced that there is no future at the company for experienced engineers, intending to force out senior staff due to their high salaries. The company is slashing costs by laying off senior engineers and specialists, not fully complying with legal standards. This practice of not offering alternative roles within the company breaches Estonian law. HR has shifted its focus entirely to cost-cutting, neglecting fairness and career progression. Over a few years, HR quality has plummeted from the highest standards to the lowest, as previous leaders have left.
The company is gearing up for a sale by Vista, yet it's not achieving enough growth for a satisfactory valuation, hampered by poor investment in its product and overspending on ineffective marketing. Pipedrive's culture is diminishing, evident from the repeated small-scale layoffs—occurring three times in 2024 alone—rather than a singular comprehensive cut, setting a tone of bleak expectations.
The environment, once vibrant and joyful, has been overshadowed by an atmosphere of fear, distrust, and empty promises. The upper management, located in London, feels out of touch, making rare appearances only for superficial motivational speeches. Whereas senior contributors initially received stock options with Vista's acquisition, this benefit is now reserved for senior executives alone. In contrast, companies like Bolt and Wise continue to distribute stock options. Feedback from employees is mostly ignored, met with a facade of polite disinterest. Teams within the customer organization have been dismissed for asking too many questions about their career paths.
In the engineering and product divisions, there's a clear absence of a coherent long-term plan for developing a superior product—a feeling that was strong a few years ago. Currently, the focus seems to be on maintaining existing systems, with significant resources misspent on non-productive marketing activities. Engineers share this sentiment, with many appearing to be disengaging quietly and starting to look for new job opportunities elsewhere.
