My experience at the company was disappointing overall. The technology did not seem to offer much that was unique compared to what’s already being developed by other industry players. In my view, the company lacked clear long-term direction, and many projects moved quickly but without strong results. Most employees were relatively new to the battery field, which sometimes led to inefficiencies. Support from HR and finance also felt inconsistent and unprofessional at times. Compensation was average, and there were no merit increases or bonuses even after promotions. Within a year, there were several rounds of layoffs, and the workforce shrank significantly.
The U.S. team is quite small, and the leadership structure and culture made collaboration difficult in my opinion. The team leader held the title of CSO, but his management approach often created tension and low morale. Communication was inconsistent, and there seemed to be a strong top-down culture that didn’t always fit well with the U.S. workplace environment. The management team runs projects by squeezing and milking employees, and taking every drop of credits after. I also felt that cultural differences were not handled sensitively, which sometimes made non-Korean employees feel excluded. Expectations were often unclear, and employees were pushed to work long hours without clear direction or recognition. The lab was equipped with new instruments, but due to budget constraints since very beginning, maintenance and reliability were frequent issues. Overall, the work environment was stressful and not well aligned with a collaborative or supportive team culture.
