Addicted to Firing - Software Engineer AWeber Employee Review

3.0
16 Apr 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Benefits, benefits, benefits. This goes a huge way toward offsetting salaries which may or may not be as stellar as the benefits. In the engineering department, things are generally well managed. Additionally, AWeber offers engineers the opportunity to work with cutting edge technologies on a very large scale. Outside of major markets like NY or SF, there are few companies in that class in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Cons

The main problem is that the company is addicted to firing. The CEO, when asked in an interview what his advice to new start-ups is, said not to be afraid to fire employees. The interview is available online for all to see. He didn't offer technical advice or guidance on securing financing; he told prospective start ups to be better at lay-offs. And AWeber certainly has this down to a science. There have been two major rounds of firing at AWeber and I'm sure there will be more in the years to come. The first mass firing primarily affected the Customer Service department and was brought about when management reviewed chat logs of private exchanges between employees discussing negative feelings toward the company (admittedly on the company IM, but private conversations nonetheless). The second large round of firing affected the engineering department and apart from the fact that a large number of senior engineers was included, seemed almost random. Interspersed between these firings were numerous other one-offs. Despite any claims to the contrary, it is obvious that the company is no longer interested in the long-term well being of its employees. When you have fired so many employees that you have the process down to a science, that is likely a bad sign. For prospective employees of the company, AWeber can be an excellent choice, especially for those getting started with an engineering career. It will look great on your resume and you will learn a lot (and possibly make more money than you might elsewhere). For those with families, consider whether you want to take the risk working for a CEO who so blatantly promotes a philosophy of employees as a disposable commodity.

Explore other reviews about AWeber

5.0
8 Oct 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great management, awesome team, annual company retreats, strong culture

Cons

nothing at this time, good company

5.0
13 May 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

AWeber is a great company to work for, and consistently has been for many years. While being at AWeber, you get to work with awesome technologies and serve really cool customers. The team dynamic at AWeber is top tier, and communication between team members is ever present. There is always information sharing, internal documentation to reference, and avenues to learn/stay in the know. This commitment to public facing communication allows team members to know what's upcoming, know what's expected of them, ask questions, posit suggestions/ideas, and appropriately prepare and plan. At AWeber, everyone has a voice, and their voice matters. Being at the company each day feels less like a job and more of an opportunity to accomplish something great.

Cons

At the company, we all actively work to make AWeber better for today, tomorrow, and the future. If you are someone who prefers to silo information and hide from your team, working at AWeber would likely not be a good fit for you.

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