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Lucena Research

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Lucena Research Reviews

4.2

86% would recommend to a friend

(9 total reviews)

Erez Katz

86% approve of CEO

83% positive business outlook

Reviews by job title

9 reviews
1.0
23 Sept 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Talented and nice coworkers (although they tend not to stay very long) -Decent pay depending on the position -Relaxed dress code -Location close to MARTA station

Cons

Most of Lucena's problems stem from the incompetence, arrogance, and off-putting personality of the CEO, Erez Katz. His behavior has driven off many talented and intelligent employees (including a co-founder), severely hurting the company. The turnover at Lucena is much, much higher than at a typical startup. -Erez is rude and distrustful of employees. He badmouths both employees and clients behind their backs -He misleads clients, employees, and investors -He frequently makes unrealistic and unattainable promises to clients and overstates Lucena's capabilities -He lacks a vision and a realistic strategy for growing the company and has a complete lack of knowledge of the sector or the competition -Despite knowing next to nothing about machine learning, finance, or the markets, Erez considers himself an expert and acts as the director of research. As a result the research is conducted in a haphazard, unscientific manner and is of a very poor quality. Working with him is very frustrating -He micromanages like crazy, asking what you are doing multiple times a day, disrupting the productivity and workflow -Stubborn, wastes an inordinate amount of time and money on a failed, overpriced, and very buggy product. Insists on using outdated front end frameworks and libraries -Very arrogant, unwilling to listen to others’ suggestions or take ownership of his failures In addition: -Can't work from home -Poor work life balance -Poor benefits -Little room for career growth The positive reviews that were written in response to this one (upon the directives of the CEO) do not accurately portray the position of Lucena or what it is like working there. The extreme turnover and the fact that the departing employees generally do not exercise their vested options speak for themselves. I'd advise any prospective employees to do their research before signing a contract.

5.0
9 Oct 2018

A rolling stone gathers no moss

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I have worked with Lucena for several years, have formed strong relationships with its people, and am a believer that they are a strong group of individuals who can and will accomplish anything they set their minds towards. It came to my attention recently that a former employee with whom I worked with many times, felt aggrieved and left a bitter review of the company and its CEO. While I can't speak towards their experiences, I do feel it is appropriate to share my opinions on Lucena both the good and the bad. - First and foremost, Lucena is figuratively more of a family than a company. Everyone has each others back, corporate politics have no place, and bonds are strong among its people. - Base compensation is competitive with market and pay scales exceptionally well as you gain knowledge and tenure. Benefits are inline with what is to be expected for a company of its size. - Career growth opportunities are abundant compared to other positions in the industry. At Lucena employees are encouraged to solve problems their way and aren't forced to conform to any arbitrary standards. - Company structure is very horizontal and employees are empowered to make a difference by having the ability to implement their ideas. - CEO is a fair, honorable, good man and an accomplished mentor. If you want a leader who will push you to your full potential, encourage you through challenging moments, and stand beside you through it all, Erez Katz is that man. - Company is well positioned and intellectually capable of becoming a leader in its industry. Its market strategy is unique and they are poised to be make a killing.

Cons

- Fast paced work environment means having a passion for what you do and excelling at it is a must. - Sitting on the sidelines and waiting to be told what to do isn't an option at Lucena. As a small company trying to prove itself in a skeptical and competitive industry, its employees' intuition and perseverance are its greatest assets. Some people simply aren't cut out for this and there is nothing wrong with that. - Because its value proposition is unique, Lucena's path forward isn't always paved. It is the first of its kind and that can either be exciting or scary depending on your point of view.

5.0
14 Oct 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

At Lucena Research CEO Erez Katz has birthed his third successful enterprise. His past successes has led to a spirit of freedom at Lucena where people with maturity can express their passion and the opportunity to personally grow.

Cons

Freedom to take action requires maturity to handle that freedom toward the good of a team. People of privilege are not always ready for self-accountability and likely are not ready for the Entrepreneurial Spirit that Erez has created where accountability is highly correlated with reward and recognition. Those people might thrive more in a rule bound culture like multi-billion dollar companies where one simply obeys the rules because they may not know how to create their disciplines that drive change and progress.

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Glassdoor has 12 Lucena Research reviews submitted anonymously by Lucena Research employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Lucena Research is right for you.