This sounds awful.
It's amazing how workplaces can get in these kind of darkly comic places
It's amazing how workplaces can get in these kind of darkly comic places
There was literal chest beating and shouting motivational stuff during sales meetings, an incredibly amount of beer (which isn't necessary an issue, but in this case it was), sometimes drugs (which led to some people being fired whenever it became public), lots of sexual harassment complaints (which also led to some surprise firings).
The cult-like part was the CEO fancying himself some Steve Jobs type, doing two-hour long presentations on random topics like his favourite economic ideas, or presenting a treatise against post-modernism. I of course knew which youtube videos he was plagiarising.
It really felt like a Silicon Valley parody when I finally got out.
Amazing. So ”Michael Scott from The Office”-type people really exist out there.
A bit creepy, intimidating, but still able to impress gullible people. He invited employers he thought were "winners" for diners (although the term the company used was "champions"). Instead of being fascinated by Sesame Street he was fascinated by DC Comics, though. I'm actually surprised at how fitting the comparison is.
All without the James Spader charm, of course.
EDIT: In person, however he was a great guy. I just don't think he behaved in a proper way as CEO.
I find that CEO level bosses (I used to be a teacher so am including heads/principals here) love to pontificate about stuff not related to the job. I've often wondered why. It's sometimes harmless, and clearly,as in your case, sometimes harmful. I do wonder what causes it though.