Zat!q: A Tech Company Gone Wrong
by Senior Software Engineer (Previously)
Zat!q
Negative
2atiq was supposed to be the next big thing in tech—but inside, it was a mess of micromanagement, dysfunction, and buzzwords.
The CEO had no tech background but insisted he was a “visionary.” He constantly changed the company’s direction—from AI to crypto to something called “quantum wellness”—usually based on whatever podcast he listened to that morning. He fired and rehired people weekly, often by accident.
HR who treated serious complaints like a joke and believed “startup life” meant no boundaries and no accountability. Confidential issues were routinely shared in company-wide Slack threads, usually with memes.
Previous CTO hadn’t touched code in years. She blocked progress with endless meetings, confusing jargon, and feedback like “make it more scalable… vibes-wise.” The product barely worked and crashed if more than 10 users logged in.
2atiq finally collapsed after burning millions in funding with nothing to show but a broken app, a toxic culture, and a farewell email accidentally sent to investors with a poop emoji.