Pros
There are many genuinely nice, hard-working and smart people here who support each other under duress. They’re probably the main reason people stick it out as long as they do in this company. Free coffee, snacks, gym. If you’re a “yes-man” and good at keeping your head down, you may do well here. They may offer you a decent base salary, just make sure you’re willing to pay the price.
Cons
The company is heavily micromanaged by the CEO. Some director level people are incompetent and lack technical skills and management experience to run groups. Most of the seasoned scientists have their hands tied and are suffocated under the management. Independent thinking is restricted and anyone who questions, challenges or does not deliver the “correct” result in arbitrary timelines are set aside to do work with minimal impact. Company suffers from the lack of scientific leadership and proper project management. The CEO is a bully who creates a culture of intimidation and fear. He has no respect for people’s life outside work, and may request you to cancel your children’s dentist appointments, change your vacation plans, fly home early from abroad, not to mention work over weekends at a moment’s notice many times for no reason other than to see how far his authority goes. He does not take criticism or constructive comments from anyone, overpromises the investors, and then lashes out to the weakest links for not delivering unrealistic results. About 20% of the company’s workforce has walked out in the past few months, so the turnover is getting high. Environment here is toxic, abusive, unprofessional and unethical. Poor healthcare plans, 3 sick days, 6 national holidays observed, no 401K match, no bonuses, no yearly salary increases.