Pros
Bud has been successful in recruiting amazing talent. Bud are hard working people who deserve all the glory for creating a workplace with a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. There has been a good work-life balance and long working hours haven’t been the norm for most of the employees. They organise social events and they want people to also have fun. It's a workplace where you can make good friends! I still believe that the founders have wanted to build a great place to work for themselves and everyone working at the company.
Cons
There is lots of hype around the product. Is it a revolutionary open banking marketplace or yet another MoneySupermarket combined with uSwitch? To show what they are made of Bud would need to first release something! Building something like this is extremely complex and nobody in there has ever done anything like that. The managers are excellent sales people but they haven't been able to lead the team towards success. Lots of time has been wasted in bureaucracy. Just get it done! Don't become a corporation! Fintech is regulated but they have taken it to the extreme level and in some cases they are operating like a big high street bank. I also think insane growth goals and excess hiring combined with the lack of clear direction lead to the recent layoffs. They hired lots of people they didn't really need in the first place.