Pros
Your mileage can vary greatly if you are in Sales, Marketing, Product, Design, or Engineering, so my view won't be representative of the entire organization. Different teams have different leadership styles and different approaches to assessing performance.
Smartcat is a growing company that is going through its growth pains. And while I've been at the company long enough to see it go through multiple transformations, this time is different because we are also rethinking all our processes through the prism of AI. The responsibilities and expectations of every single individual are changing. The company embraces change to an extent that some people will find disorienting.
The company's org structure is flat enough for your contributions to be seen. If you are a natural problem solver, if you act as if this is your own company and you do whatever it takes to make it succeed, you will be noticed and you will have career growth opportunities. If one of your canned questions at interviews includes "How's the work-life balance?", don't bother.
Smartcat is fully remote, which to me is a huge perk, but it comes with downsides. With employees around the globe, you can wake up to a hefty chunk of Slack threads that require your attention, or you may need to schedule meetings outside of "normal" hours.
So with all of these pros that may sound like cons, why would you want to join Smartcat?
- Probably you are all-in on AI and not only want to be allowed to use it, but to use it everywhere, invent new processes, show everybody how things can be done, and learn from other like-minded colleagues. This is true for every company function.
- Or maybe you want to work with passionate people across the globe on a product that connects people and truly serves a great purpose.
- Or you are a "get it done no matter what" kind of person, and want to flex that rare skill.
- Or you are crazy enough to actually enjoy navigating uncertainty.
I see that some people in the reviews disapprove of the CEO. Now imagine a person who is 200% all of the above and sets a high bar for others. That's our CEO. Make your own judgment.
Interestingly, Smartcat is also the first company in my career where, despite all of that, I've seen multiple people return after working for some time elsewhere.
Cons
See the Pros section above.