12 Dec 2018
Anonymous employee
Memrise Response
7yThanks for sharing your feedback. I'm really glad you found most Memrisers lovely and genuine, I too am proud of the kindness and empathy in those I work with and it's one of the many reasons I'm excited about the future.
Constructive criticism of our product (and founders) is welcome, but personal attacks on our employees ("...owing to a steady roster of inexperienced, incapable, capricious & evasive chancers having been installed into product roles since time immemorial") are unfair and inaccurate. If those were true I very much doubt we would have experienced the growth we have over the last 8 years. We are proud of our team.
It's a great shame that you have been left feeling this way on departing from the company. Unfortunately, it isn't unusual for those that join a business at this stage to feel the brunt of the chaos of scaling and for this to lead to them leaving during the transition period, having felt the pain but not yet the benefits of the many interconnecting changes that push us into an elevated way of operating.
Your concerns are hard to read, but for the most part they are a regrettable but natural part of scaling at speed. The leap from scrappy start-up to post-series B scale-up is one of the most difficult challenges business' like ours face, and inevitably mistakes will be made. The only thing to do is hold your hands up and make sure to do better.
As a new employee myself (3 months in) I can happily say I have seen huge improvements in the time I've been here; a revamped and refocused strategy focused on product quality and user happiness, an ambitious and clear vision communicated across the business, a commitment to 'being who we say we are' through focusing on employee morale and motivation and a real step-change in how we communicate with each other - putting honesty above optimism.
Most of all I've been impressed by the will and determination of my colleagues to face our reality and drive forward positive change. That's why I won't be rebutting your concerns, but rather thanking you for your candid feedback, while lamenting that you weren't able to see what I see, which may have helped you through the frustration and out the other side with us. Wishing you all the best.