Purges, Reorgs, and Cronyism Ruin Culture - Senior Software Engineer X Employee Review

1.0
17 Feb 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- smart coworkers - cool brand - standard tech company perks Industry best practices can be learnt here. The compensation is competitive.

Cons

- new products and features often don't ship - not a meritocracy After the IPO there were a lot of high-level firings, and each of those induced a re-org and blew away the product and feature development that occurred underneath. So, a lot of times yo'd see a feature developed, then abandoned or delayed, then attempted again six months later by another team. On acquihires, problems arise when there's an obvious conflict of interest (e.g. someone high in the company is old pal's with the acquihired company's CEO), when good people are displaced and/or fired to make room for acquihired folk, and when acquihired folk parachute into the org with outsized titles and compensation, screwing over everyone who came in the front door and who had been working honestly. Tolerance and encouragement of this sort of cronyism is destructive not just to rank-and-file employees but to all shareholders. Twitter presents itself externally as this hyper-ethical company super-concerned with noble ideas like user safety, but on the inside odd things happen, like a time a bunch of employees were fired with no notice and the survivors were told they could not ask questions and that no explanation would be given. Given these conditions, employees are incentivized to leave the company as soon as they vest some stock and the learning slows, which happens at the two year mark, on average.

Explore other reviews about X

5.0
30 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great environment, great coworkers and middle management is 10/10 incredible.

Cons

None. Place is great, vibes are good.

1.0
23 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The company offers good benefits and company wide perks.

Cons

The Finance and Accounting department suffers from favoritism, nepotism, and poor leadership. Promotions and opportunities appear to be driven more by personal relationships than by performance, contributions, or expertise. The Accounting Controller demonstrates biased and unprofessional leadership, which has created a culture of low accountability and poor morale. High performers are often overlooked while favored individuals continue to advance despite limited contributions. The department relies heavily on outdated and manual processes that create inefficiencies and unnecessary work. There seems to be little urgency to modernize systems or improve operations. The culture also tolerates underperformance, with inconsistent expectations and accountability across team members. This can be frustrating for employees who value merit, professionalism, and continuous improvement.

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