DO NOT EXPECT: training, professional development, enrichment, continuing education, career advancement or promotion. As Makerbot sees it "You are lucky to even work for us!" Consider this the red flag.
Retaliation: any attempt to speak up against your manager is considered an offense. Even simple disagreements on technical matters are considered a strike on your record. Regardless if you are right or wrong, HR will be contacted and you will begin the road to termination. (Let's be serious there is no way any hastily hired manager can be wrong in a cutting edge tech industry in Makerbot's opinion!) It is the key reason our engineering department is a husk of itself. And subsequently, why our new products are garbage, citing the Amazon BUYER reviews to back up this claim.
Makerbot time: The irony of an earlier post is that they forgot to fully define the term "Makerbot time". To quote the Simpsons in a true case of life imitating art, makerbot time is the wrong way just faster. Essentially, doing the work in the quarter of the time. Then because you skipped testing or lack understanding you break the whole system the following week. In turn, spending the following two weeks trying to fix your mistake.
Product team: When product management is no longer proud of their developments; the end is near. As of mid-summer there are more product and project "managers" than engineers, which equates to not enough people creating. The team as a whole, can't not set a deadline and stick with it to save their lives. All of this coupled with weak leadership within the group; they are basically doomed.
Marketing team: Marketing basically is nonexistent, no explanation and I don't understand how it's is possible.
HR: The only skill they have is to fire subordinates who do not follow managers' orders. "When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail" describes this team perfectly. They may have minored in writing fake Glassdoor reviews; judging by the amount of short 5 start posts that lack to describe the "greatest work environment in my 20+ years."
Politics: an autocracy. This is a requirement to play along if you want to remain employed, which forces everyone to silo up around their VP. Don't expect to be promoted unless you "know" a VP or C level.
Coworkers: mostly fresh out of school. Anyone with >3 years out of school is probably wildly incompetent and/or took the position out of desperation. A lot of the previous reviews mention smart people being here, but that's just not true anymore. The product time lines are too aggressive and too complicated for the workforce.
Pay: Expect 60% of market value. MakerBot takes the view that employees are just inputs and can find someone cheaper elsewhere. Open positions often go to the lowest "bidder" in terms of salary; which generates a lot of dead weight coworkers who you will be expected to carry on projects and incompetent managers who simply frustrate whole groups because they are only concerned about "preserving their great jobs in NYC."
No performance reviews: when you negotiate salary, they say you'll be reviewed for a pay increase after your 90 days (or some other BS like that), and it never happens. Expect to take more responsibility with no pay or title increase because both of those instances would prove that an employee has value or that a manger can't handle their workload. There is almost no upward mobility, which extends to both our blue and white collar workers.
90 day rule: you can be fired randomly in the first 3 months with little to no explanation. Management takes its at-will employment clause very seriously.
Culture: Non-existent culture on good days and toxic on bad days. Constant blame game and finger pointing because it's easier to blame another department than yourself. At times it seems like a demilitarized zone when groups conflict and everyone choses sides. Those who do not speak up or point the blame, take the fall for poor products or features. No work life balance. The work place is volatile day to day, never sure when a colleague will out right quit or be fired with out any notification to the rest of the team/ group.
You should only want to work here if:
1 - You are fresh out of school.
2 - Your parents work here and hired you.
3 - You have a sugar daddy/mamma and want to hang out with engineers.
4 - You are homeless and need place to be during the day.
5 - You owe people money; a lot of money.
