- Outdated legacy systems reminiscent of the early 2010s. Be prepared to work with .NET 4, traditional Windows web servers, and windows containers.
- Many senior level engineers working at the same company for many years and not having knowledge of modern cloud-native practices.
- Too many managers lack relevant experience and a clear understanding of what their teams are doing. Many operate in isolated managerial silos, making critical technical decisions about product direction without the necessary expertise. It’s a red flag when you see both "Directors of Product" and "Senior Directors" — you can’t help but wonder if there’s also a "Junior Director" hiding somewhere. The second red flag — is when you have to go to LinkedIn and look at your senior stakeholder experience profile, realizing she has unrelated experience.
- Dysfunctional team structure, split into two verticals — one in Poland and one in the USA. You may find yourself in a “virtual” team of engineers from both regions, working on the same product but reporting through two different management chains. This often results in political friction, as these lines of subordination ultimately report to different leaders.
- Remote policy which is not remote in reality. You might be fired, because you decide to work from another country.
- You’re granted company shares that can’t be sold unless there’s a “liquidity event,” making them effectively worthless in the short and mid term.
- Career growth is limited due to the heavy reliance on outdated legacy systems, while the rest of the tech industry continues to evolve rapidly. You literally have to do what others had done in 2015-2018. The reason many people got locked there and can not transition to better companies.
