A sad, sad, state of affairs
Pros
I was at the company for just over four years, and it's been just over a year since I left. When I started, there were lots of opportunities for innovation, trying new things, and interacting with cutting edge technologies, processes and strategies. The team I was on was filled with top level up and coming talent, so we learned a lot from each other and helped to push each other to become the best versions of ourselves. The manager I had for the first two years was the best and most effective manager I've ever had (before or since). Apparently there was a lot of issues and infighting on the executive level, and he was able to effectively insulate the team from that so that we were able to get our work done in a positive a rewarding environment. I was hired on to help build the creative services department from scratch (I was hired number 3 for the team) and over the next couple of years, that is exactly what we did, creating processes, asset libraries, brand standards, and so many different marketing and support content pieces. I would not be where I am today without the experience I had working on that team.
Cons
The founders/executive team, as far as I can tell, has no idea what they're doing. Another former employee I know put it rather poignantly: It's like they read the first half of the book "the lean startup" and just plowed straight ahead. Year three of my employment the manager that hired me moved to another department. By that time, we had built a rather large team, supporting the company with creative materials across five different departments, and we were quite the well oiled machine. But then things began to fall apart. More and more bureaucracy, cooks in the kitchen, and creative constraints creeped in. Goals became vague and focus was unclear. We were hiring constantly and growing, but the overall strategy was unclear. Then, the first round of layoffs - including the person who had been promoted to manage our department. We were told it was a one time emergency stop gap solution. But a few months later, there was another, even larger round of layoffs. The department manager position became a revolving door between layoffs and people leaving frustrated because they couldn't get support from the executive team. When I left, I learned I was expected to replace the manager who had just left - I'm glad I didn't. A few months after I left, a third round of layoffs meant completely dissolving the creative department. The few team members left were absorbed by other departments. My stock options were worth less when I left than when I joined. It turns out that everything we had built was for naught.
