since new Exec leadership (Debby Soo) from Kayak came over 4 years ago, the previous amazing culture has done a complete 180 shift from inclusive/open to now toxic and micro managing. and this is for all departments, from product to engineering to revenue operations.
they have been doing silent layoffs (handful at a time) every few weeks for 8 months and counting. you see the pattern, letting go top performers who are paid high salaries and also top performers paid average salaries to later open positions at much lower salary ranges. this leaves every employee at the company living in a constant day to day fear they may be next. so no one is happy, and you can really tell when on Zoom calls with them that people no longer have that same happy light that they use to have.
many non-qualified people in mgmt roles rule with a stick and are not open to hearing feedback from their people. they think that they "at mgmt level" know best and that people just need to do what they say. These new managers are trying to make drastic changes because they want to show that they can move the needle. however, collaboration is key to success. a true leader listens. most mgmt levels across all depts are making critical decisions when they do not know as much of the details as the people closest to the problem. current employees still at company are stressed because they have more work being piled on with less people while at the same time fearing their job could be on the line. people spend majority of their time at work... its a very unhealthy culture at OpenTable and for people's mental health. how execs are so clueless at how their employees really feels is baffling. in the past, for company wide surveys, they use to share the entire results with everyone...in this last year, they stopped sharing every single question...we know why!
in company all-hands, you can really feel the unauthentic tone of Debby, the CEO. over the years, you'd watch how she acts like she loves her other execs (previous CTO and head of product). you can tell it was fake, and then a little bit later, those 2 execs were gone. and you realize you were right in your intuition on how she comes across. its like watching someone trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood, and its pretty cringey. if you're going to be ruling the company with a stick and not collaborative, then at least act the way that you really are.
