Highly Toxic Work Culture - Anonymous employee Adapt Ready Employee Review

Some colleagues are supportive, but most of them eventually leave because of the toxic culture.

The CEO rules by fear. During her India visits, one-on-ones are used to threaten employees if they even think of leaving. Feedback is not tolerated – even a small suggestion is taken personally, and the employee is blamed for everything. I have personally seen colleagues cry after these sessions. The CTO is irresponsible and incompetent. Instead of owning his responsibilities, he constantly blames the team for failures. Both the CEO and CTO bad-mouth every employee who exits. People just disappear overnight and are labeled as “terminated.” In a startup of less than 30 members, about 15–20 have left in 2 years and new ones join – that level of attrition speaks volumes. They constantly accuse current and past employees of “leaking data” without proof. For a company offering “risk management,” it is alarming that they cannot even secure their own data. No proper payslips are given. Because the company does not have a GST number or proper compliance setup, my loan application was rejected with the company's payslip as it doesn't look reliable according to the bank officials. This is unprofessional and shows lack of credibility. I have wanted to resign for over a year, but I am scared because of continuous threats with false accusations. The CEO has even said that “no one can touch her since she has a powerful legal team.” No employee should feel trapped like this. Leadership keeps blaming employees for everything. I wonder why the Investors don't question them on why so many people are leaving – or maybe they are being convinced by the CEO and CTO just like employees are.

Wide exposure to learning and experimenting.

Issues with Leadership and Work Culture 1. Toxic Leadership by the CEO The CEO rules by fear. One-on-ones during her India visits are not supportive but threatening, especially if employees consider leaving. Feedback is not tolerated; even raising one issue results in being blamed for everything. I have personally witnessed colleagues cry after such sessions. 2. Irresponsible CTO The CTO avoids accountability and frequently blames the team for his own failures. This has led to frustration and demoralization among employees. 3. Unprofessional Treatment of Departing Employees Both CEO and CTO bad-mouth every employee who resigns. No one receives a proper farewell; departures are disguised as “terminations.” In a startup of fewer than 30 employees, 15–20 have already left in just 3 years – a turnover rate that speaks volumes. 4. Baseless Accusations Current and former employees are regularly accused of “leaking data” without any proof. It is ironic that a company offering “risk management” cannot manage its own internal data securely. 5. Compliance and Payroll Issues No proper payslips are provided. The company lacks a GST number and proper compliance setup, which directly impacted me when my loan application was rejected. This reflects extremely unprofessional and unreliable financial practices. 6. Threats During Resignation When I attempted to discuss my resignation, I was threatened with false accusations and told my career would be harmed. No employee should ever feel unsafe or intimidated when leaving a company. 7. Broken Policies and Lack of Transparency Leave policies are ignored. Transparency is nonexistent. Leadership consistently shows a lack of respect toward employees.