Interesting company at an interesting time - In the Product Team Cover Genius Employee Review

2.0
Sep 1, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Often the work is interesting - There are real challenges which require solving - Lately there's been some good company events - Many really smart people

Cons

- Too much bureaucracy - Benefits are pale in comparison to other tech startups, let alone established players - Constant uncertainty and unexpected changes in priority. Instead of having a vision for the products we are building and working towards a roadmap to get there, we are always reactionary - driven by random requirements and deadlines from partnerships. Deadline-driven development is the style of work the product team is forced to do, no cohesiveness. - Most exec team leaders have shown to genuinely not care about staff - Micromanagement and lack of trust in team from some people at the top - One thing is announced, and several months later, something totally different is done - usually with no announcement, usually to the detriment of staff - Almost unbelievably or comically poor communication/cooperation between different parts of the company, and the company leadership just doesn't seem to care - Transparency is an ongoing problem, but like many things, execs don't understand what transparency is - Culture and values are a joke, if you ask 10 different people what the culture is, you will get either different answers or a blank stare. By definition there is no culture.

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Cover Genius Response
6y
[The following response is from Chris Bayley, Co-Founder] Thanks for giving us feedback. We accept that things aren't perfect so we always appreciate the chance to respond. Some of the things you've highlighted are being addressed and we've outlined the large amount of work being done by our People team over the next 6-12 months. As you've said, there's no easy solutions, but we are working on it. You made some points about benefits and culture. While we accept that many tech companies compete for talent through their benefits packages, we have always focused ours on things that really matter. Our generous health and wellness policy has been updated in line with the cultural value of "make it your own" so we're now covering whatever H&W charges you prefer. Similarly, one can choose their preferred schwag from a growing list, up to a budget. Our "CG Gives" microfinance program has also commenced with the team generously lending +$20K of company-matched bonuses to their preferred entrepreneurs in developing countries. We expect that the CG Gives program will lend over $100K in 2020 which is an extraordinarily generous contribution that aligns with the Founders' mission to enable social entrepreneurship and subsequently improve global financial literacy, a value encompassed by our "make it better" value. Our culture programs and other issues that you've raised derive from our historical funding situation. We are bootstrapped and frugal rather than venture-backed and, to be polite, less sustainable. The beneficiaries of this approach are undoubtedly our team members who are rewarded via our generous employee equity plan. Our EOP is unique within the tech industry; it ensures that the upside is truly significant when the company does well. This wouldn't be achievable if we were VC funded. We also accept that self-funded startups experiencing very high growth also mean the imperfections are writ large; there's less people to do the work, more context switching and there's going to be uncertainty when we're doing things that have never been done in one of the world's largest and oldest industries. As the team grows we're comfortable that this will change and the ride will be less bumpy! Thanks again for contributing. - Chris Bayley, Co-Founder

Explore other reviews about Cover Genius

5.0
Nov 25, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Global Company: I love the fact that we operate on a global scale. Working across different regions provides a unique professional experience and connects you with a diverse set of smart people around the world. Strong Culture and People: Teams are collaborative, highly skilled, and supportive. It’s a genuine pleasure to work alongside talented individuals focused on a common goal.

Cons

Working with colleagues across time zones can sometimes be challenging.

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Cover Genius Response
5mo
Glad to hear you're loving the culture and people here at Cover Genius (we do too)!
4.0
Dec 12, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

* Immediate Impact: I’ve only been here for a few months, but I’ve already been able to contribute to the business. You aren't treated like "the new person" for long * Lots of Autonomy: You are trusted to do your job. * Smart Colleagues: The talent density here is high. I feel like I am learning something new from my peers every day. * Helpful: People are super helpful and willing to carve out time to help you learn. This is not always the case when starting a new job but its real here, * Work-Life Balance: So far, the balance has been great. We’re a global company so balancing timezones requires a more fluid working schedule than your standard 9-5. People work hard, but there isn't an expectation to be online 24/7.

Cons

* Start up: Even at this later stage there are still growth pains, a level of chaos to navigate and processes to build out across the business. * Fast paced: Things move fast. Things change quickly. There is a constant theme of change & this doesn't always resonate with everyone. * Global: The distributed nature of the company can leave you feeling removed or operating on an island at times.

3
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