Don't work here, even if they seem nice from the outside
Pros
People are nice to each other on a day-to-day level. Good peers - people at the same level are typically supportive and will help you if you need it. You can learn a lot about how not to run an organisation. That's not a joke. I've genuinely learnt a lot about managing people and building products here, albeit through truly negative experiences.
Cons
Micromanagement culture that doesn't respect its employees - you'll be checked in on frequently by direct/skip managers and founders, who will pressure you to change things to match their personal likes/dislikes. You'll be given nonsensical deadlines that result in you sacrificing your personal time, only to later find out the thing you spent your weekend on didn't actually matter, or that the deadline has now shifted again. Design by committee - nothing can be released without detailed input and 'buy in' from every vaguely relevant person in the company. Forget taking the initiative and putting together a great idea, even if it's completely within your domain of expertise and ownership. It will be weeks of back and forth for even the most minor feature, with hours of discussions about things that barely make a difference in the end. Inexperienced managers with no consistent process - Curio builds whatever the committee/management pulls out of thin air. We never validate anything and we never evaluate our work. I can't remember the last feature we added that our customers demonstrably liked. If you want to be product-focused or data-driven, this is not the place for you. Secrecy and distrust - taking an interest in the company and how it works (so you can better do your job) is treated with suspicion. Too much questioning of any of the problems mentioned above will get you labelled as 'difficult' and you'll be bypassed with secret meetings where your work is handed off to other people. 'Loyal' people are placed in middle management to get rid of the kind of discussions and good-faith challenges that any company like this needs to succeed. Overall, working at Curio is an endlessly frustrating experience. There are talented people here, who have the best interests of the company in mind, but they're stymied at every turn by truly awful management and an organisation that doesn't value them.
