Lost its way, losing its people - Anonymous employee Lab49 Employee Review

2.0
Jan 4, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Although many of the best people have left Lab49 in the last year, the resulting power vacuum means that there is an opportunity for the talent that remains to rebuild the company into somewhere attractive with a new and improved culture (the old culture was not at all good, so it has to be better than that).

Cons

Lab49 is a company that has lost its identity - the reasons are a combination of a change in the ownership structure, high-profile resignations and a fair few redundancies. As a result, remaining employees are demotivated and confused about where the company is going, and most are actively looking to leave. Top-down communication is typically quite opaque - or worse, muddled and inaccurate - which adds to the unease, and the culture has historically been of the Command and Control variety. This not the type of workplace most people are prepared to work under any longer, hence departures have been frequent and damaging. I could not recommend the company to others at it stands at present, notwithstanding it's possible things can improve in the future with the right leaders and vision.

Explore other reviews about Lab49

5.0
Sep 16, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Working groups around Blockchain, AI, and other interesting topics - Book Club - Open and transparent leadership team

Cons

- Uncertainty around what you will be working - Can do a great job on a project, and still be left on the bench when it is finished

2
4.0
May 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Hiring is well-gated, so you'll work with smart people. Projects are exclusively in finance so it's a great place to gain exposure in that industry. You operate with a good amount of autonomy.

Cons

It's a consulting company, so engineers are only valuable if they're billable. That means your success is tied to someone else's ability to secure a pipeline of work for you, or your own ability to upsell at your engagement - which may or may not be up to you no matter what you do. There isn't a dedicated sales team at Lab, so this can get spotty. Upper management's presence is felt in seasons - non-existant for months at a time, all over everything the next. They were nowhere to be found as AI got rolled out massively in 2026 and we got caught without a strategy and action plan - either for leveraging internally or for pivoting our model.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All