A personal scribble. Company names are anonymous.

At various points in my career, I considered working at each of these companies.

But my gut proved the grass isn’t always greener.

(Or, it is indeed much greener, but you can’t see all the 💩 employees deal with to fertilize that lawn.)

The red flags:

The first company I did not work for, its flagship product has hideous design, and it despises data privacy. It hemorrhages profit due to terrible business decisions.

The second company I did not work for, it was 9:30 p.m. at night, and I’m at its main HQ with a company employee. I said, “Wow, tons of cars in the lot. A special event or prep for launch?” The employee replied, “No, it’s always like that. Even on Sunday nights.”

The third company I did not work for was a thought leader that prided itself on great design. But all that down the drain when it imploded, as shitty management triggered an exodus of top talent, including designers I admired.

The last company I did not work for sparked a revolution that disrupted an industry. But once it reached the top, the company morphed into a more predictable, less inspiring version of itself. From great to good.

I know lots of designers with these company names in their LinkedIn profiles, but I’m at peace knowing my bio was built with zero regrets.