Leadership can be aggressive, dismissive, and exclusionary, and often gets in its own way. Several leaders do not engender a spirit of teamwork or collaboration. Behaviors like avoiding eye contact, ignoring contributions in meetings, or excluding people from conversations create an uncomfortable and unproductive environment.
There is also clear favoritism and an inner-circle dynamic. The culture reinforces the same voices and perspectives, creating systemic barriers to advancement for those outside that circle.
Another concern is the number of Directors and senior leaders elevated quickly without the industry experience typically required for those roles. Five or six years of experience does not equate to the leadership perspective that usually comes with a decade or more in the field, and it shows in the inconsistent direction teams receive.
The company has also gone through several rounds of layoffs (3–4 in recent years). As business pressures mount, that pressure is pushed down onto teams while accountability at the top is limited, and employees can end up being scapegoated when things go wrong.
The brand itself feels increasingly disconnected from the audience that originally built it.
HR also appears closely tied to internal relationships, making it difficult to view the function as a neutral or supportive resource.
