Whoever wrote “RMI is the worst of both worlds” hit the nail on the head. Over the past 3 years, RMI has transformed from a high-producing small group of people with prestige, to a bureaucratic entanglement of nepotism with a toxic culture. A culture that “RMIers have a moral high ground “and are “better than other people in this industry” fuels this toxicity. From significant bullying, to management quite literally hiring their best friends into other high-paying roles (looking at you, industries team), RMI has turned into the toxic swamp Amory vowed it would never become.
I cannot emphasize enough how mentally and emotionally tolling working at RMI is- and I’ve been on 3 different teams with very different management styles. If you are earlier career, you will not be respected, if you are later career, you will be questioned if you truly earned your spot in RMI. This much is consistent across teams.
If you are considering working at RMI and are unsure if it’s the right fit, please take this post as a sign. Putting RMI on your resume is not worth having to literally go onto SSRIs - take it from me. I know at least five other colleagues who have sought out mental health services during their tenure at RMI, citing their work as the primary reason for doing so. I promise you, it’s not worth it.
