Pros
There were some nice coworkers. Fully remote.
Cons
I've been wanting to write a review for a while, but have held off. Now that I've noticed many negative reviews being removed, seemingly fake positive reviews being written, and many of my previous coworkers have been laid off, I wanted to contribute my honest (and yes, negative) feelings about my experience with Public Goods. The first bad sign? I wasn't supplied with any equipment. I waited for a work laptop to be shipped to me, and it never happened. Okay, I suppose I can use my own computer, but really? This seems like a very basic thing for a company to provide, especially when the work was fully remote. But the real problem... the more conversations I had with the CEO and CFO, the more I realized that there was no actual vision. These are not people passionate about saving the planet, reducing waste, or promoting inclusion. These are, fundamentally, two men that decided they wanted to be "entrepreneurs". They wanted to ride the wave of tech-bro start-up money as long as they could, and exploit customer's sensitivity to environmental and ethical issues to propel them along. The company is the epitome of green-washing: they are selling a lifestyle - a mid-century-modern-barnyard-instagramable-chic-lifestyle, rather than trying to actually help anyone, or make any real change. They care more about the package design than the products themselves. Relationships with vendors are poor, because they fail to make payments on orders. They had also struck agreements with vendors based on completely inaccurate growth projections, which they obviously did not meet. There were some employees that were clearly not actually working, but keeping their heads down and collecting a paycheck. I would reach out as a new employee, asking for assistance, and they would push their own responsibilities onto me. There was no help, no support from my superiors, who would routinely bail out on meetings I'd set up to seek guidance. I was told to "handle it," without any instruction. You can't grow in a place like this. There is a difference between being self-sufficient, and being thrown to the wolves. There were also employees who were trying their hardest day in and day out, but could not for the life of them solve the daily problems created by leadership. I talked to these people openly; they were frustrated, sad, and afraid of their job situation. They took company stumbles personally, because that is the bargaining chip that Public Goods (like many start-ups) use against you: the ability to become personally invested in something bigger than you. But that inevitably means that the company's failure is your own failure, or so they would like you to believe. Don't believe it.