CEO is Destroying a Meaningful Company - Anonymous employee Embark Veterinary Employee Review

Embark is an incredible place to work! You get to dive into a variety of projects, and the team is extremely tight-knit, fostering real opportunities for growth. Your voice is heard, and people genuinely value new ideas. Everyone is hardworking, open-minded, and excited to take on challenges—it truly feels like a family (or a dog pack!). The perks of working for a dog-focused company speak for themselves—who doesn’t love dogs? Plus, the benefits are excellent, with great healthcare, work-from-home flexibility, and an office in Boston for those who prefer in-person collaboration.

The office space is on the smaller side, but with the shift toward remote work, it’s been a smart and natural transition. The previous larger space wasn’t necessary for how the company operates now.

-Flexible/remote work -Unlimited PTO -Summer Fridays -Colleagues who love dogs -Surprisingly great benefits, comparable to what you’d get at a bigger company

When I first joined Embark, it was a great place to work. You got to work with passionate scientists, veterinarians, and dog-loving people who really wanted to make a difference. Unfortunately, that version of the company doesn’t really exist anymore. Today, Embark is run by a CEO who lacks any form of leadership skills and consistently shows how unfamiliar he is with dogs, people, and Embark’s main product. Unfortunately, the CEO has also systematically rid the company of most of its experts. There is no strategic direction, at least not one that lasts more than a few months. Leadership is focused on short-term ideas that keep the company afloat for one more day. High turnover at the executive level has resulted in chaos for employees who don’t know how their role might change in a few weeks or months. Teams are told to launch products with little foresight or strategic vision, and then leadership is surprised if the product doesn’t perform well. This then means more layoffs. Embark went through five layoffs in about two years, reducing the size of the company to half of what it once was. Most of the employees who cared about the product and the mission are gone, whether through layoffs, being forced out, or leaving by choice due to how dysfunctional the org is. Other cons: Salary is not competitive with biotech in Boston in general.