Where do I even begin? I remember when I was younger and used to hear this from people around and in movies: 'this place is a sinking ship.' And I never really understood how that analogy applied to a workplace. NOW I DO. A half-decent product and an incredible set of engineers, designers, marketing, and sales team are severely let down by the three founders who act like a cabal. I am honestly not sure what changed in the last 9 months. While miscommunication and startup challenges were always seen and expected, the founders' behavior has crossed the line. There's a glaring lack of direction, planning, and consistency, particularly in their inexplicable hiring and firing decisions. Since January of 2023, literally every couple of weeks, somebody is let go or leaves out of frustration. The reasons for being let go are even more insane. Within a couple of days, a new hire is made for the exact same role, but with a different title, and they spend 3 months learning about the firm and the tool before the next set of people leave/get fired. Rinse, repeat. What's even more dubious during this period, is the use of the founders' new favorite word: A.I. AI, AI, AI, everything. You want to use AI as a jargon to hire people and show that you're smart? The founders literally changed the course of the company, having an internal rebrand called 'cove.tool 2.0,' fired 8 people one fine Wednesday morning, to focus on a new internal product. 2 months later, all work for that new product has been stopped, and the direction has changed to incorporating 'A.I' into our tools. I cannot fathom the mind-numbingly stupid decisions taken to reach this stage. The core products, for which users pay, are completely neglected for this one task. Bugs and software issues that have persisted for months remain unattended due to the severely understaffed software team. The reason behind this alarming situation? Team members have been either let go or have handed in their two weeks' notice, leaving the company in a precarious state of inadequacy and neglect. This unacceptable negligence underscores a blatant disregard for both the product quality and the customers! If you are international, STAY AWAY. At worst, if this is your only option, use this company to maintain status and start applying for jobs from the very first day and jump ship ASAP. You will be hung out to dry. If you're an American citizen, STAY AWAY. Sure, there are numerous subpar companies in the market, but it's essential to choose a firm where your status as a citizen guarantees you basic respect. You possess that privilege; utilize it wisely.
