I have worked in places and this was no doubt an eye opener of what dysfunctional really means.
Toxic CEO behaviour as follows:
* Leads a culture of blame and fear
* Playing employees against each other to extract information and to remain in control (big problem for her) hence creating hostile environment and animosity and tension between the team
* Thrives on screwing people over (employees, contractors and more) - probably the worst trait of all
* Often aggressive and rude with employees
* Management style is ruling a kingdom not leading a company
* Information is held hostage, Lacks to communicate and there’s zero transparency
* Micromanages like crazy - pro tip > first thing you receive in your first weeks is how she’s disappointed with your performance and things can’t can’t continue this way
* Constantly changing focus and creating chaos as a result
* Huge ego and thinks is superior to the team
Whilst the CEO is very good at PR and charming any external people / investors (including you when she wants to hire you!) internally the company is a melting pot of doom.
All this selling of community (BS) she lacks creating and taking care of the most important community which is the team building the company! Ah the irony!!
Yes building a company is hard and growing it harder but this is not the issue at this company and more so no justification for the horrors that happen in the name of "All the usual chaos of early stage startup” (from "former review". Don’t be a fool!
Creating a shiny culture doc in a place starved of the most foundational values does not equate to a company with good culture.
Zyper Response
5y
Thank you for your review and for your being part of the Zyper Team. We strive to make each employee’s tenure with us rewarding and beneficial. I apologize that isn’t the experience you had. To your comment that Zyper is dysfunctional, I have to disagree. We function at a very high level but with all startups, things can change at a moments notice. I am sorry that Zyper let you down and would be happy to discuss this further over coffee.
Just avoid, if you're looking for a proper startup where you are respected and not belittled stay away.
Cons
Stems from the top-down, toxic CEO who is giving female founders a terrible name in the Valley, manipulative and you'll lose faith in startups if you join this place, guaranteed most + reviews are either written by pseudonym accounts by the CEO or employees being forced.
Zyper Response
5y
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about your time at Zyper. I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience during your time here, and it's true that working at Zyper isn't for everyone. Change is constant in our business and being a fast-paced startup can be challenging to manage. We strive to make everyone feel valued on our team and I am sorry that you didn't get that feeling. We strive as a company to be the best that we can be.
Great company culture and nice to work so closely with the CEO. Loved working for such a progressive and fast-growing start-up .
Being based in UK when majority of coworkers are in US started out difficult to get use to but I was made to feel completely part of the team. Opinions were listened to and my role progressed quickly.
At a very early stage, CEO gave me responsibility and trusted me with helping her out. Overall, she was a great boss and role model throughout.
Cons
Slower than usual in the early stages when getting to grips with the company but when working remote and on a time difference this is understandable.
Zyper Response
5y
Thank you for your input. I am glad to see you feel valued as a part of the Zyper team. We strive to make everyone understand how important they are to the success of Zyper. Working closely with the CEO is a great advantage of working for a startup. I am glad you feel the significance of this. Happy to have you as part of the Zyper Family!