Very Good Leadership, Very Challenging Business Segment.. - Anonymous employee Rue Gilt Groupe Employee Review

The People: Rue has some of the hardest working people in the Boston area. Yes, the workforce in general is rather young, however they are consistently able to rally to the challenge of the ever changing fashion world and e-commerce challenges. The Technology, I worked at Rue in the Technology group for almost three years and whiles it's easy to point out challenges and negatives I would say many people overlook the opportunities that exists. Rue spends a great deal of money on Technology and tools to ensure they have a platform that can be scaled. Do they have some Tech debt from decisions that were made long long ago? Yes of course, not many companies these days don't have any tech debt. From the moment I walked in the door at Rue, it was very clear it had all of the ingredients for success (Money, Technology, Leadership, Empowerment). With all of that said, Rue is certainly not for everyone. Rue is faced paced, they are constantly trying to navigate the ever changing retail marketplace and yes they are even sometimes making decisions in the moment that can be second guessed and criticized by others at a later point. Let's be honest, this is a company that has grown dramatically in the last 10 years and they are constantly trying to grow and gain market share. With this aggressive mindset, you are bound to make wrong decisions, which by the way is perfectly acceptable in my mind and part of the process. I would rather make a decision and fail and learn, then not make a decision and see opportunity pass by being risk adverse. Mindset: Yes as I mentioned before Rue has a large appetite for change and growth. Sometimes that appetite is larger than what the business can handle, however I would take that appetite any day over a company that has no ability to grow or reinvest. This is a young company that has large aspirations, you will only succeed here if you are open minded, patient and full of energy and commitment to make things better. This also includes the ability to pivot on a regular basis, as the retail marketplace changes often and pushes retail businesses into hyper go mode. Leadership: Yes, like any company Rue has some very strong leaders and some leaders that could use an upgrade, however starting at the top of the chain the CEO is one of the best guys around. I interacted with him almost on a daily basis and for a few months I reported directly to him. He is very approachable, open-minded, practical and a forward thinker. By far one of the best CEO’s I have worked for and I have worked for a bunch from small start up’s to fortune 500 companies. They have a new CTO who is extremely bright, brings good energy and progressive thinking. The CFO is a stand up guys, who has been at Rue in multiple positions for 12+ years. He knows the business and the marketplace very well and his new role as CFO is a great fit. Overall, very good place to work if you have the right mindset and you embrace a little chaos and a large opportunity to succeed. I would certainly still be working at Rue if a life changing opportunity did not present itself. Even with that choice, it was a very tough place to leave.