Motley Fool Reviews

Cons

I have limited exposures due to the kind of work element I am involved with.

Cons

For as many wonderful things the Fool has going for it, there are just as many frustrating aspects. For starters, the company continues to beat its chest regarding compensation, benefits, and culture. Some of these things are worth bragging about, but compensation is not one. The company claims to benchmark comp and will pay at least at the median, but this just isn't true for the average employee. I've found salaries to be consistently under market, even when you incorporate benefits.

Secondly, the Fool claims to be a meritocracy, but being close with the Gardners is far more important than skill or acumen. There is also a strong "yes man" bias. Raising differing points of view from what management, especially the Gardners, want to hear will get you no where, even if it's the truth. I've seen many careers stagnate or even regress once someone broke from the party line. Don't be mistaken, this company is very much run and controlled by Tom and David.

The Fool has a lot of young workers. I'm not referring to those kids right out of college, but rather people under 50. That makes promotions and advancements very hard to come by. You see people moving laterally in the company rather than upward. That's okay, but don't expect to have a career schedule here. It can also make getting raises difficult because title and role changes don't come very often. Even more aggravating is the Fool's backward policy of not giving a raise when you do finally receive a promotion! For a company that shouts from the mountain tops that it values its employees, sometimes it really feels like you're fighting tooth and nail for everything that has a dollar sign attached to it.

Lastly, be prepared for changes on company strategy. It happens all the time. Although we preach taking the long-term view, sometimes it feels like we're fickle in our own company's goals. I've seen ideas for the business bubble up, ultimately die, only to reappear again a year down the road. Only this time it's somehow different. It can feel like we don't give a strategy enough time to actually take hold and produce results before we're worried about the next issue and are changing course. I think some more steady-handed leadership could be good for the business.

Cons

No downsides to complain about.

Cons

Leadership doesn't have great technical understanding, can lead to tension between the business objectives and technical objectives. Constantly striving to be innovative, but a few steps behind when it comes to technical infrastructure.

Cons

Fools love it here so much that there's very little turnover, meaning there's not obvious upward mobility. However, we're growing and I can see many opportunities opening up in the future.

Cons

Despite a fantastic vision the company has struggled to translate that vision into concrete results.

Cons

You have to be a flexible worker here. Roles and jobs change a lot and you have to be comfortable doing one thing one year and something different the next year with a different manager.

Cons

The foundation of the business is really starting to suffer now after years of focusing on short term thinking/results. Times seem desperate now and they are... It's time to stop chasing dreams of being a big company (for the sake of being big) and concentrate on being a great company with a focused mission.

Cons

can't think of any. I had a great time at the fool

Cons

Wish I could of stayed longer, but plan on keeping in touch with many of the individuals I met throughout my contract.