Poor senior leadership and unhealthy culture - Anonymous employee Hyperallergic Employee Review

Working hand-in-hand with the publisher, Veken Gueyikian, was a wonderful experience where I learned a ton about how an online media company generates ad revenue. Veken was patient with me for the many months it took to master online ad placement and scheduling. He has created a unique workflow using various productivity suites that I have since integrated into my own endeavors. His communication skills were topnotch and is a fantastic teacher. They also tapped me for my writing skills helping to craft a few grant applications with various nonprofits. Overall, this media company is a testament to entrepreneurism and small enough to be able to learn every nook-and-cranny how to survive in an intensely competitive market. Oh -- the health care is super comprehensive and generous!

In the end, I did miss working in a bigger office with more fellow workers to learn from, but that was my choice to dive into a smaller operation to be able to maximize the learning curve.

It's small, so you get to know your coworkers really well. You have the freedom to write almost whatever you want, and approach it from any angle. The site encourages diverse voices.

Because there is a quota for both writers and editors, the work gets old fast. You're writing for clicks at the expense of quality journalism/criticism. The editorial team is constantly reminded about the need to drive traffic, which is incredibly stressful. There is poor communication all around, and essentially everything has to be approved by the editor in chief, which slows things down a lot. While Hyperallergic likes to claim that it's a decentralizing platform, the power lies in the hands of one person who is manipulative, has unpredictable mood swings, and seems to not trust staff at all. Turnover is high because most problems remain unsolved despite numerous attempts to resolve them. In short, the demands for a team this small are absurd and unrealistic.