Pros
I've been with MemSQL for 3 years, and in all honesty, was going to leave last year before our decisions to make serious leadership changes, the most significant of which was bringing in a co-CEO. I decided to write this review, as I have seen some negative comments on this forum lately that reference some of these changes, and I wanted to provide a counterpoint. Our executive leadership changes have fundamentally changed the effectiveness of our go to market organization, kept me here, and put our company on a very positive growth trajectory. The reality is that change is hard, but MemSQL is built on a foundation of hard work. Its also not for everybody. Pros: Some of the smartest and hardest working people I’ve ever met. I never feel like the smartest person in the “virtual” room. I always feel challenged, which is what I’m looking for in a job. Autonomy comes with responsibility and success comes with rewards. We’ve really moved in the direction of a meritocarcy. We still don’t have enough people for management to micro manage day to day work. There is absolutely a proving period after which the business will start handing you responsibility. Succeed at something great, and you’ll be rewarded (i’m speaking from experience). Accountability. This piece has taken a little while, but one of the most important changes I’ve seen in the past year is the businesses ability to hold individuals and departments accountable. We’ve gotten much better at exiting people that aren’t cutting it. This is true for ICs, Managers and Execs. We’re competing against technology Giants and I love being the underdog. We have a technology that is winning against massive database companies with virtually unlimited resources. I’ve worked at the bigger companies. The wins never feel this good, and the losses don’t have the unifying effect that they do here. Lastly, the technology works. Really, well.
Cons
Cons: The great majority of the last years change has been good, but it doesn’t come without some challenges. Change, in general, is hard and it’s not for everyone. I think we have another 3-6 months of cultural stabilization. I’m cool with this, but some may not be. There is a strong relationship between our CEO’s, but we need to continue to strength Engineering and GTM bonds throughout the organization. It’s coming, but it could use a little more work. Again, this is something that I believe needs just a little more time.