Vantaggi
The product is a good one. It's a weird space with attempting to help people, maneuvering around some really tough regulations (props to legal), and sharing a market with some very shady competitors. You cannot get better benefits in a startup. Douglas truly understands the importance of strong benefits in tech startup. Zest is competing against talent hogs like tech company's, financial institutions, & other startups that can afford to salary out their employees hence the great benefits package. The office environment is a really fun feel. Big open floor plan in the main work area and a handful of meet up spaces, bright colors and lots of windows, great location in the heart of Hollywood, space encourages community and communication, and the tech is constantly evolving. There are some really awesome gems (talent) there. They are hard workers that supply structure and really know what they are doing or that are fast learns that add immensely to the product.
Svantaggi
Promotions are almost nonexistent and if you do get one it's not based off accomplishments and successes of projects but the personal relationships you hold the C-level. Holding on to bad apples even after it's acknowledged these employees are not pulling their weight, while taking full advantage of the great benefits. Some of these employees go out of their way to sabotage others trajectory, while others fly below the radar for as long as they can, wracking up the equity and free food. They are a liability in many ways. Morale is becoming terminal. The volatility of the product (to their credit, they can't control) and the wickedly political office environment can be completely exhausting. There tends to be a major business pivot every 3-4 months leaving the team deflated. Seems like the people that made Zest great are no longer there, not because they left for awesome opportunities but to escape the fatigue. Culture is the greatest deficit that Zest has. The culture that we had was magic. It allowed us to build relations between colleagues and customers. It improved communication and understanding of the mission/ goals and winning multiple "best places to work". The original culture has been deconstructed piece by piece with the churn of the original team.