Multiverse Reviews

Return-to-office (RTO) disaster: After years of hiring remote-first and selling flexibility as a competitive advantage, leadership reversed course overnight. They already knew ~30% of tech would resign as a result. That isn’t “AI-era alignment” (as it’s spun in town halls); it’s a quiet headcount reduction. Expect HR to frame it as “collaboration” and “intentional in-office time,” but for those affected, it was nothing more than broken promises. Dishonest communication: Benefits and policies are constantly reframed as if they’re improvements. Example: the 4 “M-Powered” wellbeing days became a forced 2-day summer shutdown. Instead of simply saying “we can’t sustain this as we scale,” it was spun as “better for everyone.” This tone — upbeat on the surface, corrosive underneath — runs through all comms. You’ll often hear “we value transparency,” but in practice, candour is absent. Mission drift: The original mission — apprenticeships as a real alternative to university, unlocking potential over privilege — inspired people. That’s gone. The pivot to “AI upskilling” feels shallow and investor-led. HR will insist “we aren’t upskilling for the elite,” but when the only people celebrating the shift are the CEO and investors chasing higher returns, the intent is clear. On the ground, no one believes this is a “great idea.” Leadership vacuum: Reorgs and churn are constant. Middle managers are ineffective because they’re being pulled in all directions without stability. Chaos here isn’t agility; it’s just chaos. When leaders say “change is a constant at a fast-growing scale-up,” it’s not reassurance — it’s how dysfunction is normalised. The CEO himself seems more focused on media interviews and cultivating the Multiverse brand than building a coherent product. Ask yourself: what even is the product right now? Apprenticeships? AI training? A SaaS platform? No one internally can answer that with confidence — and that should tell you everything. CEO as CTO: When the previous CTO resigned, the CEO simply absorbed the title despite no credible tech background. It gets spun as “Euan leading from the front in our AI-first era,” but engineers know better. If you’re a software engineer, run for the hills: your craft won’t be respected here. Toxic positivity: Comms are relentlessly upbeat, packed with rocket emojis and slogans. Questions in all-hands are filtered, feedback forums are clunky, and asking tough questions is risky. Replies will always sound the same: “we’re listening, we’re evolving, we value your input.” But nothing changes.

The single biggest issue at Multiverse is the TOXIC CULTURE. It’s really sad how much this eclipses all the good bits of working for this company. This is not just ‘startup life’ or a ‘high performance culture’ - it is wholly destructive. Just take a look at the reviews on here from people in Sales, compared to people in other depts - quite telling I think. 1. The sales floor is awful; tension, exhaustion and misery permeates the air. We used to openly joke that the new joiners would not be as chirpy in a few weeks' time (and there were always lots of them - a constant conveyor belt replacing AE's who leave within a year). 2. Poor middle managers: I.e. newly promoted AE’s/new managers. Some of those they’ve promoted held reputations for being the most unhelpful and rudest colleagues. Why would I ever go to them to brainstorm an idea, let alone for support?! 3. These same managers will also shamelessly gaslight you if you open up - ‘be more productive’ or ‘you need to prioritise better’. The worst things to hear when you already feel overwhelmed and exhausted. For a company so big on sales reps with good EQ, leadership really needs to work on showing some. 4. Taking ‘positive pressure’ too far in the name of ‘excellence’. The expectations of constant high output are not sustainable for any human being, but targets clearly come before welfare. (The backend isn’t even in place to deliver?! i.e. the shortfall of data coaches?!). 5. M-Powered: Company switch off days that I consistently worked through, so I can’t relate. I worked weekends and while I was on holiday too (and my manager fully knew). 6. A lot less time for your hobbies, family and friends. Whether it’s from exhaustion or simply having to work. I cannot think of a time where I physically felt worse, with all my personal relationships suffering. Suddenly the prospect of 1 to 1’s, forecast calls and blitz days became unbearable, when in previous employment they’ve been valuable/enjoyable. I was always wide awake most Sunday nights from the anxiety of the impending week.