Incompetence at the COO level has finally infected its way throughout the organization
Pros
Not many, the company heavily rests on its laurels; a once great company to work for is now an employer where only the ineffective stay. Talent is leaving en masse. You'll see a lot of positivity for the CEO here and elsewhere. Note that the CEO/owner is not who currently runs the operation, that falls solely on the COO. That said, the company, as a whole, has always adored the CEO.
Cons
COO is comically incompetent for all matters other than bottom line profit margin. There is no clear company objective and those goals that are set are done so without executive follow up. It is not uncommon for executives to set an intention and then sabotage the very organizational goal they set ("hire and retain top talent" followed by semi-annual reorganizations, layoffs, and lackluster merit increases... the kinds of things that only bottom talent will put up with). Company is stacked with director and above positions that bring nothing to the table. Mid level management has been almost completely eradicated and staff asked to take on management responsibilities without pay or title increase. This includes taking on direct reports without title or pay increase. Org charts are a mess with directors/VPs everywhere and very little actual staff. Directors and VPs are too busy jockeying for position to do actual work so staff are constantly pushed beyond capability. COO appears to respect time spent working above all other metrics of performance. An incompetent manager or employee who puts in 60+ hours a week is well regarded even if those 60 hours result in no measurable output. Efforts to lean out and become more efficient aren't recognized; only one's ability to put in massive effort.
