Lost its way - Developer PortSwigger Employee Review

I am sorry to hear that PortSwigger didn’t work out for you. We know that it can be challenging for new people to adapt to a very different environment than they are used to, and PortSwigger certainly isn’t for everyone. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out, and it sounds like you made the right decision to move on and find something that is better suited to what you are looking for. I feel obliged to speak up on behalf of your former colleagues, since I don’t think you fairly represented them. Swiggers aren’t “slightly above average”. The vast majority of our people are exceptional: strong capability, energy, drive, and commitment to working well together. It’s no accident that our products have been so successful - that doesn’t happen without outstanding people working effectively. Our people are not in general averse to change. Over many years we have continuously evolved, reinvented ourselves, and transformed our products. We have dedicated teams who are focused on looking for new opportunities to change. We recognise that our humour isn’t for everyone, but it is authentically ours. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we seek out opportunities to bring humour and silliness into our work. We’re a diverse group of people and that obviously brings a wide range of approaches. The antics you observed aren’t centrally orchestrated - we gently encourage people to express their personalities and have fun together, and what you saw flows from that. They might not always get it right. Not everything that happens will delight everyone - on the odd occasion where a Swigger’s humour oversteps the mark, others will sensitively course correct them. But if someone really doesn’t get it and prefers a more sombre vibe, then they would probably be happier elsewhere. Your vivid metaphor of the CEO’s court of eunuchs made me laugh (and even wonder if someone will act it out at an all-hands meeting). But it’s nothing like the truth. Don’t mistake a group of well-aligned and mutually supportive leaders for a dictatorship. We have robust healthy debates within the leadership group, and our leaders support each other by providing constructive challenge. There is little concentration of “power” - I certainly don’t make decisions unilaterally. We do regard healthy and constructive feedback in all directions as critical to enabling our ongoing professional development and growth. This applies to everyone (certainly me). If you encountered a Swigger who rejected your feedback, then I apologise on their behalf - that isn’t the mindset we promote or aspire to. Finally, I must speak up for our Culture team. Agreed, they are emphatically not a conventional HR department, and we don’t want that. They are a group of exceptional people who truly care about supporting their colleagues to achieve the very best that they can, often working quietly in the background through personal interactions rather than heavy process. They provide world-class coaching, training, and support to Swiggers of every flavour right across the business. They help all of us to live out the values that we’re committed to, and I couldn’t be prouder of them, or the results that they achieve. Dafydd Stuttard - Founder and CEO