Noble mission and brimming with talent but better leadership needed - Product Manager BenevolentAI Employee Review

3.0
18 Jan 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are fantastically talented people at Benevolent working to solve extremely challenging and stimulating problems. It's never boring. I was also impressed with how much my colleagues engaged in building a positive culture and went above and beyond to find better ways of doing things and of working together.

Cons

The leadership team did not seem to value positive culture and improvement in the same way as the development teams. Conflicts were often escalated rather than attempting mediation and there was little traction for trying new things. It often felt like small victories, valued by the teams, were dismissed higher up. Decision making was often slow and strategy unclear. In many cases there seemed to be a disconnect between what was being presented in town hall meetings and what was actually being implemented on the ground.

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BenevolentAI Response
5y
Indeed, no company is immune to a negative culture. For this reason, we hired an Employee Engagement Manager to ensure everybody’s voice is heard and to help gather on-the-ground feedback on how we can improve. We have created channels for employees to share feedback and suggest new ideas, for example, our ‘What’s on your mind?’ team lunches with our CEO Joanna actually gave rise to several initiatives now in place at the company like Challenge Days. We are always open to feedback and appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!

Explore other reviews about BenevolentAI

5.0
20 May 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing benefits, Supportive work culture that helps you thrive both professionally and personally

Cons

Unstable biotech market and investments

5.0
1 Sept 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

People at Benevolent are kind, patient, friendly, and yet also serious about getting good work done. The vibe is start-up: mission, freedom, and innovation. Unlike many start-ups, however, employees also feel empowered to leave at 5pm and also make time for their own learning. Plus European benefits like generous holiday and parental leave. Flexible work-from-home, too. The company feels stable and nurturing, and the problems we're working on are super interesting. Finally, the high level of tech support across the company, including more lengthy collaborations between teams, is a privilege in itself. I learn so much from my colleagues all the time.

Cons

For software engineers and AI scientists, I think the pay doesn't yet compare to very big tech companies, which is who we lose our tech talent to when we have turnover. Being split over NY and London time zones can also make communication and scheduling tricky. Finally, the NY office is small compared to the London one, so NY workers can sometimes feel a bit out of sync if most of their team members are in the other time zone, or occasionally also vice versa.

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