This company is TAAZE, the online used bookstore.

The concept of buying and selling used books is very good.

The company consists mostly of young people and is very willing to give young people opportunities to learn.

When I worked there, the whole company was beset by internal and external troubles. There were vicious battles within departments, conflicts between departments, and clashes between the general manager’s faction and the chairman’s faction. It was truly quite a spectacle.

Our supervisor was very good at currying favor with the chairman. The parachuted-in manager had absolutely no professional ability and spent work hours going around talking nonsense, showing none of the qualities of a manager. They even took responsibility for matters unrelated to our department. They could not outargue managers from other departments, and their ability to get things done was utterly exasperating. After only one year, the entire department was nearly ruined.

Both senior colleagues and the parachuted-in manager told me to do things. I did not know what to do, but I still followed the parachuted-in manager’s instructions.

A senior colleague once earnestly told me not to follow the parachuted-in manager’s instructions because what they were doing was highly problematic. If something went wrong, they would not be able to save me. At the time, I could not see what the problem was; only now do I realize how important those words were. Get out as soon as possible.

Although the senior colleague was extremely fierce, they were not at their desk 90% of the time during work hours—either out smoking or socializing with other departments. Even when at their desk, they were playing games or browsing online shopping sites. They have since been laid off and happily received a very large severance payment.

The chairman was once the founder of Books.com.tw, but after disagreements over management philosophy led to the removal of the general manager position, they founded TAAZE.

They are very good at painting grand visions and are extremely idealistic, but do not consider whether employees can actually accomplish them.

In a public speech, they once told everyone that they did not know which employees in the company worked hard and which were slacking off. It was truly ridiculous.

That is also what happens in practice: those who slack off continue to stay, while those who work diligently resign after staying only a short time.

The turnover rate is extremely high, and they are constantly training new employees.

I heard that they strongly disliked the general manager’s management style and later stepped in to serve as general manager themselves.

The concept of used books is excellent, but the processing costs are also very high. The company has been operating at a loss, and the chairman has continued burning through the company’s accumulated capital.

The information security problems are extremely serious. The company was once among the top three most frequently reported platforms for suspected fraud.

I heard that the company has apparently moved near Linsen North Road, downsized, and moved into a smaller office.