Pros
1. Good product/market fit 2. Good fun individual contributors, although the retention rate is so low they probably won't be there for long.
Cons
Plenty of problems you should know about before considering an offer the following about the founding team: 1. Lack of transparency: A number of folks were let go without due explanation to the rest of the company. In multiple (too many) cases the reasons listed were completely fabricated and did not convey the truth, just what was convenient for the founders to say - this is after hearing the other side of the story. 2. Low retention rate: Folks are constantly quitting Shippo. Ask why. 3. Poor hiring decisions: In 2017 ten new hires were let go before completing a full year at Shippo. A lot of the remaining new hires from that year ended up quitting/being let go the year after. 4. Gossip culture: The founders constantly engage in gossip culture, once they hear something negative about an employee, they will use it as leverage against them. 5. Not feedback-oriented: One of the main reasons many quit at Shippo is that the founding team does not take well to feedbak nor do they improve on it. So folks are either asked to leave or independently decide to quit after a long period of being frustrated. 6. Blame culture: Founders typically blame their shortcomings on one of the departments, or individuals, that report to them. (They will probably try to blame this review on someone else). 7. Brain drain: Due to the low retention rate, little knowledge is accumulating in the team and past mistakes are constantly repeating. When folks attempt to point out that mistakes are being repeated and attempt to offer a solution, they are singled out as bringing down the team spirit. 8. Unfit CEO: The CEO never showed any real, leadership or otherwise, skills at Shippo - constantly engaging in blaming others and lashing out when someone disagrees with her. She seems too busy building her own personal brand and taking unexplicably long vacations. Her, otherwise admirable, public opinions/statements rarely translate to actual wisdom/leadership in handling difficult situations. After working at Shippo for some time, one is only left to question the authenticity of those public remarks. 9. Unfit President: The President has chronic management issues - he is a big part of why Shippo has a blame culture. He very rarely takes responsibility for his own mistakes or admits his negative influence on teams' productivity and accountability. He constantly gives the impression that he wants to know he's the smartest one in the room. Presidents usually compliment a CEO, not this one; he takes equaly long vacations and does not seem to stand up to the CEO. Every department he has ever managed has failed: Engineering (big layoffs), product (big layoffs), design (big layoffs). 10. Founders in denial: CEO & President have often said nice-sounding things like "if and when the company outgrows us, we will step down and find better-equipped leadership". Funny thing is, they've been holding back the company for a long time, and it was brought to their attention, yet they are still there and in denial. Shippo founders lucked out with hiring good folks, so don't be fooled if your interviews go well. In many cases those interviewers themselves might be quitting soon, as evidenced by the low retention rate. Of course they cannot disclose that in the interview, so don't expect them to. IMO most folks quit at Shippo because the founders constantly turn their back on those who built the business for them as soon as they ask for improvements that would inconvenience the founders or diminish their role, even if said improvements would help the company overall. I recommend you do not join if you're currently considering this for a full time role. You will quickly reach a ceiling where you need either the CEO's or President's approval for everything that you do, and you'll have to decide between quitting and leaving what you worked on behind or putting up with two inexperienced first-time finders who are not willing to follow your lead in your area of expertise. This applies even to executive positions - you will quickly realize you are expendable the moment you disagree with the founders, simply because they can.
