Chaos and disarray - Hardware Engineer ICON Employee Review

ICON gives exciting opportunities to work with cutting edge technology, kind people, and exciting partners. Every day at ICON looks different and things are constantly new and different. It allows an eager employee to build a variety of skills and tools that they can use for their entire career.

Things at ICON are constantly changing. The ICON you may have worked at last year might not be the ICON you work at today. This can be really hard if you're not adaptable. It's also demanding and very "surge-y". It can be hard to predict when the big surges happen, but it's important to have a personal life that allows for periods of extreme commitment to your career (I am talking week-long+ sprints of working and sleeping only). This can be really difficult, if you aren't prepared for it. Another key challenge is that ICON is a true start up. Nothing is guaranteed. If you're looking for a stable and reliable workplace for longterm consistent comfort, look elsewhere. But fortune also tends to favor the bold.

This company is a startup. A rather big startup, but still got the startup vibe. CEO is evangelical, an excellent salesman. Has brought in a ton of investment. He trends quite visionary, especially in the aesthetic domain. It is a good place to get your feet wet. We embrace big technical challenges. Per true startup style, an enterprising person willing to put in extra work can rise in the organization. Hard work and long hours are appreciated. And sometimes mandated, though the official 6 days/week requirement didn't work out so well... Come join us. The hiring process is a bit opaque and confused. We go through HR folks pretty regularly. Call back, use your inside contacts. Good luck, and see you soon!

Velocity is our motto. Chaos is our middle name. We embrace it. We reorganize. We change our toolchain. We layoff and fire, then we hire. We ride! Design-oriented CEO is less competent in the engineering/technical domain. Our robots are serious engineering/technical stuff. Company culture is a personality cult, revolving around the CEO. He wears a white cowboy hat. Always. The small "executive" huddle who surrounds the CEO worships the white hat. Only the CEO wears a white hat. No one else would dare.