Lacking respect for employees, vision, focus - Anonymous employee CASTLE GLOBAL Employee Review

1.0
2 Jan 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- free lunch and dinner - fair compensation and benefits - friendly coworkers, sense of shared suffering - nice office in SF financial district - well funded, seemingly fiscally responsible - products with much unrealized potential

Cons

- branding/image problems - many company names: Chatous, Kiwi, and now Castle Global - management shows little respect for employees, treats everyone as incompetent and replaceable - management talks poorly about coworkers in meetings, one to one, and in whispers in an open floor plan (people can hear you guys) - unlimited vacation is a joke - you can be fired if perceived to be taking too much time off, even if it was approved. - no work from home - management values you sitting in the office all day and late at night even if you aren't doing anything but watching sports or movies on your computer - fake commitment to process - you spend time in meetings and spreadsheets and follow ever changing guidelines only for it all to get thrown away at management's whim in the middle of the night - management's tantrums berating employees, interns, etc. calling them incompetent, laughing in their faces, etc. - complete lack of morale, employees joke with each other about quitting or getting fired, keep headphones on all day, try to avoid eye contact with management - so much employee turnover, hiring and firing are fickle processes - only discernible strategy is 'trolling' other companies for their product features, data, and employees - creating a suite of half-finished apps, many bugs, no care or respect for users, or their safety, apps are havens for predators and illegal activities - company 'vision' seems to move on to a new idea every six months and let existing apps languish even though they have incredible potential - sketchy tactics like facebook spamming, fake app store reviews, constant rebranding and featureless releases to clear the slate of bad reviews - there are an infinite number of well-funded startups - I can find no reason to work here and be miserable

Explore other reviews about CASTLE GLOBAL

5.0
21 Jan 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I have been working at Castle for 2+ years so that makes me one of the earlier employees. The work environment here is extremely positive and supportive, although we are all a close bunch so arguments do happen and we do fight. This is not a culture for the meek, but we all want to do big things. People here really want to see you and the company perform at a high level. There is increasingly some healthy competition in the office now that we are getting more products, and finally some decent sized engineering teams. With all great things Castle has to offer, it does come with some expectations. You are expected to both work hard and have a great attitude. Top performers here have good work ethic, attitude, and make an effort daily to deliver. you also should be a fast learner as the company does move fast and sometimes changes come from lot of seemingly random places. top performers at the company breathe castle and they are always online and available - whether it is 3am or they are attending their sister's wedding.

Cons

I don't have any negative things to say about the company. But I can provide some realities which other people seem to complain about in other reviews. As you may read in other reviews from past employees, this job is not for everyone. In engineering, you have to be one of the strongest and willing to work hard. people who love engineering and can build scaleable products do well here. academic pedigree is important here as well given the backgrounds of the founders. there is an office in india as well so you ahve to avialable to that office late at night if in sf, and in indian office you have to be available in the mornings. you are given lot of ownership, and people who produce here are given lot of autonomy but the company does have a need for reporting as it is a way we can maintain a no manager culture. everyone here does real work so if you want to coast, this is not the place for you. company is fundamentally frugal and values the money it generates from its properties and has raised from investors, so this is not a place where you will be showered with more and more perks. you have have more than functional facilities in both sf and indian offices, and standard perks for startups. but if you want pool tables and ps3 stations, this isn't the company for you. new indian office is pretty nice that was designed by a professional firm with lot of new furniture and art work, whereas sf office was the work of our CEO and COO's trip to Macy's. they bought a bit too many couches so there is lot more space to sleep in the office after a long night. but the furniture doesn't really match... they bought used furniture from a failed startup for sf office.

6
4.0
20 Aug 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Not an overhyped scammy product. Company has a clear product and delivers real value to their customers.

Cons

Unclear if there's a strong growth story for this company.

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