What's the Company Culture Like at First Mode?

Key Insight for Candidates

• Recognition, Pride & Shared Success: The work is framed around industrial decarbonization with tangible deployments, which creates a strong sense of purpose and pride in real-world impact. External recognition and “best places to work” mentions reinforce a narrative of meaningful, celebrated work when programs land.
• Innovation & Creativity: Engineering is positioned as hands-on build–test–iterate with full-scale equipment and proving-grounds validation, emphasizing practical invention under real constraints. The environment highlights rapid prototyping and first-of-a-kind systems work across hardware and software.
• Learning & Knowledge Sharing: Leadership messaging emphasizes curiosity, learning from one another, and openness to ideas from any level. Cross-functional collaboration across sites is presented as a norm, supporting peer-to-peer learning and knowledge flow.

• Change Fatigue & Ineffective Decision-Making: Frequent pivots, shifting priorities, and leadership instability are described as recurring friction points that can make direction and decision quality feel uneven. The transition from startup cadence through restructuring into a new parent organization adds additional change load.
• Low Morale & Disengagement: Layoffs, a bankruptcy process, and uncertainty around strategic alternatives are highlighted as major trust and morale stressors. This instability can reduce confidence that the organization consistently prioritizes and protects its people.
• Lack of Recognition & Shared Success: Advancement and rewards are portrayed as uneven during financially tight periods, with effort not always matched by promotions or raises. Limited clarity on career paths is flagged as a concern, which can weaken day-to-day feelings of being valued.