Basically everything else.
Normally, you would expect a startup to be founded and run by young, talented tech people with innovative ideas. Alas, that is not the case here. The CEO is a senior with outdated notions about the workplace, lacking both knowledge of the technology and the desire to learn. His sole intention seems to be capitalizing on the hype surrounding AI and quantum technologies to inflate the company's value, sell it, and call it good business. He ticks all the cliché boxes of a toxic corporate management style.
The CSO does lend the company some scientific credibility; however, that quickly dissipates into smoke and mirrors. He has little professional integrity to speak of, creating nothing more than a paper mill and taking credit for anything in his vicinity. The company frequently issues cringeworthy PR releases celebrating him (or the other founders) internally, regardless of how little he contributed to the actual work. His only motivation seems to be building a monument to his ego.
The CTO, the youngest of the trio, lacks discernible leadership, industry, or scientific experience. As a result, he has fostered an atmosphere where his team dreads meetings with him and are afraid to admit problems. His directives and strategies can at best yield half-baked proofs of concept or visually appealing slides—an illustration of a PhD who has learned to mimic actions to appear successful, without any depth.
He is quick to get upset with his team but lacks the backbone to stand up to the other two when he disagrees.
The rest of the executive management is at best “fine”, but nothing more than that. It’s evident that the founders have surrounded themselves with people who never challenge them; that is their main qualification.
The company has no product worth paying for, but that doesn't seem to concern anyone — half the employees are barely aware of this. It is not surprising since the only noteworthy talent in the company lies in the tech team, and management would never listen to them.
The sales team lacks common sense and is either lying to make a sell or is completely clueless about what they’re selling. It can sometimes be entertaining to watch them flounder in minor issues, turning small problems into catastrophes—a recurring theme throughout the company. Most of it is thanks to the chief of sales, who is a piece of work. But such leadership appears to be valued at the company.
The organization of the tech teams is bizarre. There are very few senior engineers, no tech leads, but an abundance of mid-level managers who at times lack the knowledge to manage or engineer effectively, making them more of a hindrance than a help to the engineers. Meanwhile, capable juniors are forced to compete for mid-level roles.
Last but not least, while the company portrays itself as a young, hip startup, the reality is a toxic mix of controlling, archaic, and outdated policies designed to exert control over employees, often just for the sake of power display, including (but not limited to) strict enforcement of office hours. In a software company…
