Shiny on the surface. Deep cracks in the foundation
Pros
- Roles and departments are fluid, if you take initiative you can create your own role / job description - Lots of office perks and fun events like a beer tap in the kitchen, constant flow of snacks, rec leagues - Some really awesome, talented people at the company - Coolest branding, lots of free swag
Cons
- The general management of the place suffers from too many cooks in the kitchen, the result is very little autonomy at lower/mid levels and very slow-moving projects - The company’s ethos is about design creating social impact but when it comes to actually discussing social challenges in the world (homelessness, gentrification, sexism, capitalism, policing etc.) they never take a stance - There’s a bit of an extreme woke vibe in the office, but not even in an interesting radical leftist way, just like a white liberal virtue signalling way that feels like gaslighting (Ex: lots of talk about the people at hcma being the foundation of the company’s success, yet the company notoriously underpays their employees) - Low salaries and very few opportunities to negotiate/discuss them - Poor racial diversity, especially at the management level
