Once great, now avoid this hostile workplace - Anonymous employee Cozy Employee Review

1.0
Jun 3, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Pay and compensation is good (though has historically been highly dependent on how close you are to the CEO) - Some great coworkers (though fewer each month) - Hours are great (because so many people are too depressed to even show up to work) - Was an excellent workplace until beginning of 2018

Cons

In January 2018, the CEO fired the CTO, who was the only competent executive and was the manager responsible for turning Cozy into such a great workplace (see pre-2018 reviews). Since then, the environment has turned hostile and depressing (when people even bother showing up to work). People have left, are leaving, or are looking for jobs. The entire senior management team is ex-Silicon Valley/SF bros who are totally unqualified, and incapable of leading sheep, let alone their remarkable employees. The scope and severity of management's dysfunction is breathtaking. Men are never disciplined, and are more often promoted, for lack of accomplishments. Women face frequent hostility and alienation and are kept in more junior level roles even when their contributions are greater than their (male) manager's. People who speak up are ostracized, tone policed, and in numerous cases verbally attacked by the CEO. Avoid Cozy unless you are desparate for an entry-level job. The design and technology is stale, and the company is in a death spiral of angst. There is no way it can pull out of that spiral, because the CEO has surrounded himself with sycophants and always casts himself as a victim (he lacks the basic ability to run the company- it only survived because of the CTO). Most company energy is spent wondering why the company is spending so much energy wondering what's wrong (the answer to "what is wrong" is so obvious- the CEO- that no one bothers ask or answer it). This is a familiar story to women and people of color, who should avoid Cozy at all costs. It's also a thoroughly depressing environment for dudes who just want to make cool stuff without drama.

Explore other reviews about Cozy

5.0
May 8, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Growth, great colleagues, and positive outlook

Cons

There are none that I can think of.

5.0
Jun 7, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I've worked for big and small companies, but Cozy feels like home. The benefits are incredibly generous (100% medical, 4-week sabbaticals, education allowance, unlimited vacation time, free lunches) and there are opportunities for everyone to grow and have a voice. The CEO is always accessible to anyone who wants to meet, and does his best to make Cozy a place where employees can do their best work. There are many company-sponsored social outings, like laser tag, top golf, happy hours, work time to attend educational conferences, and contributions to organizations that the employees believe in. In my short time there, I've seen entry level employees in non-technical roles (e.g. customer support, marketing, customer success), gain experience coding via mentorships and dedicated time away from regular responsibilities, to learn the new skills. Managers look for ways to lift up team members and set them up for success.

Cons

In early 2018, the CTO quit after making, what I felt to be, unreasonable demands to run the entire company. For months thereafter, some employees seemed like they were still having a hard time with the loss and a few of them became uncollaborative towards those who didn't share their unfavorable opinion the CEO. To help, the management team has invested in, and is still investing in multiple catalysts (company-wide DE&I seminars, additional 1:1 meetings, off-sites, new related and intentional hires) to reunify the entire team, and it seems to be working - things are getting better and morale is improving every day.

3
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