Look somewhere else - Software Developer Smarty Employee Review

Smarty really is a great place to work. People wouldn't stick around as much as they do if they didn't agree. The benefits are really solid - great health insurance specifically. Middle management and the people that work here are genuine. It's rare to see people at Smarty treat others as dispensable colleagues. There is a good culture of being helpful and friendly with each other here, rather than being competition.

While the friendly culture is great, it can sometimes result in a little bit of a political game with some favoritism. The CEO is a fantastic boss, but he's the only boss, and I think that can come with drawbacks.

• Unique company culture with great perks — company trips, benefits, food, benefits, and a relaxed atmosphere that stands out from typical corporate environments. • Lots of good and talented people throughout the organization • If you build the right relationships, opportunities for growth are great. Smarty truly feels like a unicorn early on, you may be surprised that anyone would ever complain given everything listed above.

After you’ve been at Smarty for a couple months you’ll start to notice • Rampant favoritism and nepotism: relationships with leadership matters more than merit, qualifications, or performance. • Career growth and compensation quickly plateau if you're not in the right social circle. • The CEO appears disconnected from large parts of the business and its day-to-day operations. • Policy changes are routinely made to accommodate specific individuals with the right connections and org/management shifts are frequent and appear politically driven. • As a single-owner business with no board or external accountability, there are no checks on leadership decisions. Good if you’re in, bad if you’re out. • Teams experience wildly uneven investment — some see rapid growth while others are a revolving door of young or entry-level talent. • The culture, while once a strength, is deteriorating under inattentive leadership. Everything in the Pro section eventually gets reframed as "Golden Handcuff" when you get "woke" to what's beneath the surface.