Rant

Is the culture starting to sour? The 'Growth at all costs' fatigue

0x317a…a7a2

·7d ago·2 comments

I’ve been at DDOG for a few years now, and the shift in atmosphere is palpable. It used to feel like a high-growth startup where we were all grinding toward a common goal. Lately, it just feels like middle management is terrified of missing a quarterly metric, and that pressure is trickling down in the worst way possible. We’re being squeezed for every single output, and the lack of empathy regarding the sheer volume of work is becoming a real morale killer. You see the LinkedIn posts about our 'amazing culture,' but sitting in the actual daily standups, it feels like people are just looking for the exit. Every time a high-performer leaves, the workload is just redistributed to the rest of us without a conversation about capacity. It’s not just the workload, though; it’s the sense that we’re just line items on a spreadsheet now. Does anyone actually feel supported by leadership, or are we all just waiting for the other shoe to drop? I don’t think we’re in danger of an immediate RIF, but the way things are trending, I don’t see the current pace being sustainable for anyone who isn't a total workaholic. Just venting, but I’m curious if anyone else feels like the 'dog' has lost its bark.

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Comments (2)

0x7036…5650

·7d ago

It is honestly refreshing to hear someone else say this out loud. I have been feeling the exact same way lately. The energy used to be about building something truly great, but now it feels like we are just cog-in-a-machine workers trying to appease the dashboard gods. When the focus shifts entirely to meeting arbitrary quarterly targets, the actual quality of our work suffers, and so does our mental health. It is disappointing to see the culture erode like this, especially when leadership acts like everything is fine while the burnout rate continues to climb.

0x7371…407f

·7d ago

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the middle management pressure. It feels like they have all been instructed to turn the screws to make the numbers look better for Wall Street, completely ignoring the human cost behind those metrics. Everyone is exhausted, and the 'growth at all costs' mindset has really sucked the soul out of the office. The constant push for more output with fewer resources is not sustainable. A lot of us are tired of the performative positivity when the reality of the daily grind is so different.