tldr;
This company is led by a golden spoon boy who never bothered to learn how software is made or how to manage people. The employees who work here are great people, but the pains quickly show their faces. If you don't want to be plagued with anxiety and frustration then steer clear. Take your chances at another small place if you are looking for the small shop environment.
After 5 years at Maximtrak I was the cream that rose to the top. Working my way from Jr to Lead Developer through tons of hard work and self inspired initiative. At no time in the process did any Manager/Leader at Maximtrak guide or otherwise offer any useful professional advice. My ascension was seen as a success in the company despite being low balled every step of the way. Often given the same tired excuse of 'Lack of Experience' despite out performing every person in a similar position, including outside hires. I eventually forced their hand and achieved my main goal of becoming team lead of their mobile product. Our team ran a smooth ship, we cared about our part of the company and produced some of the cleanest bug free code. So much so that for a year not a single manager checked in on us or sat in on our meetings. After all they didn't need to - we delivered features on time and rarely had any major production bugs. All of this may sound like I'm an egomaniac, but of course I always knew the best way for me to excel is to make sure everyone around me excelled as well. After all - a rising tide lifts all boats.
So after all this why leave now? The truth is, I didn't want to. I always knew the CEO was clueless but I never knew how bad it really was. In the last 6 months before leaving, I realized all the toxicity I witnessed. All the mismanagement came down to one person. The one at the top. Needlessly making promises we couldn't keep. Blaming employees for problems he created. His inability or unwillingness to learn software development practices and why we operate a certain way. 5 years and never prioritizing technical debt and quite frankly bad code. Always focusing on the next big client, instead of developing a healthy product. It's easy to be frustrated at your immediate superiors, but when you peel away the onion you realize they are placed in an impossible position.
Until the CEO's last name doesn't match the company's name don't bother. The latest project is already riddled with problems and unrealistic deadlines. They have learned nothing, and like every project executed at this company. They will repeat all of the same errors they did in the past. I hope I get to work with some of my former colleagues again in the future. I truly did enjoy their company and their camaraderie.
