Run. Ownwell's catch and release style isn't for everyone.
Pros
The property tax management team and staff below executive level, in general, were all really likeable and seemed to want to contribute to the overall mission.
Cons
In short: Ownwell is run by inexperienced executives who will charm you to get the work done they need and then drop you the next day. They are comfortable with deceptive business practices, based on the low risk of facing any actual consequences for their actions. At length: Communication: non existent. Team members often did not have basic information needed to make decisions or to perform effectively. Even individuals on the leadership team were not informed of important decisions made by other leadership team members. CEO: made it obvious that it was preferable to "upset" 20 customers, than to put resources into fixing known platform problems, including issues that may be unethical on our part in choosing not to fix them. I was told that the risk of any individual customer bringing a claim or suing us was too small to address the costlier root issues that would ultimately affect many. In office culture: Upon visiting the HQ in Austin, I was shocked to witness the low morale. It consisted of young executives imposing the arbitrary requirement of being in office for the majority of their workforce, rather than hybrid or remote. My job was fully remote. Prior to visiting, I believed the in office requirement was there to promote collaboration. But, I soon found out it was only an extension of control. The young executives would come in each day and lock themselves in their personal offices all day, sending emails out to remind employees not to "bother" each other, while working. I even spoke with a colleague who had been hired over a month prior to my visit, who conveyed that they hadn't had a chance to really get to know anyone outside of their own team, despite the actual working space of all employees being less than 1400 square feet. For a company that so proudly touts its great "culture," it felt more like fear mongering and intimidation. It was pretty shocking and discouraging to see the child prodigy CTO (sorely lacking in many soft skills) publicly reprimand another leadership team member for having a conversation with me (as opposed to telling me he was too busy and steadily working like the robot the CTO viewed him as), telling me the other leader was "too nice," because he took the time to respond to people's questions outside of the tech team bubble. When the other leadership member tried to defend himself, saying that others had asked him similar questions via Discord (Ownwell's chosen messaging platform), the CTO asked who was messaging him, he replied he couldn't remember. At this, the CTO asked to see his phone and the other team members standing around witnessing this looked incredulous and chuckled uncomfortably, when the other leader replied, "You're worse than my girlfriend." This hint did not deter the CTO, so I stepped in and tried offering a light hearted "fun fact" that studies have shown people will be more productive if they take a "brain break" in between intensive tasks. The CTO laughed out loud, and mockingly asked the other leader, "Ohhh, is THAT what you want?!" before haughtily stalking away. When I told one of the directors about this situation, they said they agreed with the CTO. I was also warned not to bring the idea of hybrid working up to the CEO. Apparently, his ego was too delicate to handle the idea that some people were feeling miserable and dreading coming in to the loud overcrowded work space which Ownwell recently signed a multi-year lease on. Exit: The meager severance package they offer has a non- disparagement clause. So, I suspect there would be more reviews like mine if other people they had suddenly and abruptly let go (no doubt after being given false reassurance of job security) would have the option to reject the severance package and speak freely about their experiences like I have. In the end, they assumed control and ownership of all training materials, SOP's, and work product I created along with tacit knowledge shared about my geographic market, and decided they could pay someone else less for the work that remained which could not be automated. This is the "culture" you are signing up for when agreeing to work for Ownwell. Not to mention the thanks you will get for a job well done. My best advice: Run. Ownwell's catch and release style isn't for everyone. Especially if you are an experienced professional who takes pride in your work. Just run. You will thank me later.
