Toxic leadership transformed a once enjoyable workplace into the worst company - Senior Software Developer TouchTunes Employee Review

1.0
Feb 9, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Most of the employees and lower level management are good people.

Cons

- Inadequate compensation. - Excessive pressure. - Nepotism. - The leadership team attempts to foster competition among employees. - A disengaged leadership team and top-down management. - The leadership is resistant to criticism and retaliates by, for instance, denying promotions, or being set up to fail and fired. - The leadership consistently making unrealistic promises to investors, disregarding feedback from developers who highlight the impracticality, results in setting unattainable expectations. Subsequently, blame is placed on developers for failing to meet deadlines. - The leadership has a short-term vision, thereby overlooking the quality of the code produced by developers. They encourage developers to minimize comments on pull requests and prioritize swift merging. - Imposed the RTO against the wishes of everyone, adversely affecting employees' quality of life. - In January, they laid off 4% of employees for economic reasons, yet Shortly thereafter, they acquired a company that sells darts in bars. - Employees are expected to work overtime without compensation, fostering a crunch culture similar to that seen in video game companies.

avatar
TouchTunes Response
1y
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. As you know, I very much value feedback as both an opportunity for growth and a communication tool that helps us see how people might view issues in different ways. 2024 is a big year for TouchTunes. We are achieving some of the big dreams that we’ve had for years, which is both exciting and challenging. We’re about to release a brand-new app, we purchased North America’s largest darts business, and we’re spending a lot of time as a company envisioning what the future might hold. Those opportunities, and the growth that comes with them for the company and for each of us personally, can come with a lot of pressure, not to mention some difficult decisions (such as our decision to eliminate a very small number of roles earlier this year, even while we added roles elsewhere, or our decision to ask employees to return to the office on a hybrid basis to help foster the relationships and collaboration that are so important to our values and culture). I hope that you’ll discuss your concerns with our CTO in Montreal, with our HR team, or even with me personally. We want to understand your thoughts on how we might do things differently, even as we continue to grow. Thanks, Ross

Explore other reviews about TouchTunes

5.0
Jan 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really great people managers here. Interesting work and a cool product!

Cons

Nothing to share at this time

1.0
Oct 16, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- hybrid environment - comunter benefit

Cons

- Toxic Leadership Culture: Incompetent, egotistical, and narcissistic management that fosters fear rather than collaboration. - Zero Upward Mobility: No clear career paths or growth opportunities; promotions and recognition are rare or politically driven. - Miserable Work Environment: Employees, especially those who’ve been there long-term, appear burned out, disengaged, and deeply unhappy. - Soul-Sucking Atmosphere: The energy is heavy, draining, and creatively stifling — it feels like survival, not inspiration. - Widespread Negativity: Teams spend more time gossiping, complaining, or blaming others than actually collaborating or problem-solving. - Divisive Leadership: Leadership preaches values like inclusion and teamwork but acts in the opposite way — creating silos and favoritism. - HR Complicity: HR prioritizes protecting toxic management over supporting employee well-being or addressing serious workplace issues. - Culture of Fear and Bullying: Bullies are rewarded and thrive in the environment, while kind, collaborative, and talented people often leave. - Lack of Accountability: Poor performers in leadership roles face no consequences; bad behavior is normalized. - Hypocritical “Culture” Messaging: Company values are used as PR slogans, not guiding principles — nothing authentic about the “people-first” narrative. - Rampant Discrimination: Racism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bias are openly tolerated or ignored by leadership — creating a hostile environment for anyone outside the “inner circle.” -Declining Business & Outdated Product: Revenue continues to fall because the product is irrelevant in a changing economy — especially during a recession. Leadership refuses to innovate or face reality. - Overall Dysfunction: The company is a case study in how not to run a business — a revolving door of talent, crumbling morale, and no vision for the future.

5
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All