Optum is the epitome of dysfunction. It's essentially just a portfolio company. Optum just scoops up healthcare companies one after another and then ruins everything about the companies except for the bottom line. Optum's bottom line is the *only* thing of importance at the company. You can forget about culture, benefits, career advancement, and improving the healthcare system. The only thing that matters is the bottom line. Optum recently instituted a hiring freeze, but they didn't want to call it a hiring freeze because they didn't want to rattle the markets. (Instead, it was framed as a "pause.") As a result, tons of prospective candidates were led on about the viability of the roles they had applied for, and within the company, short staffed teams remained short staffed, leading to unhappiness and burnout. I joined Optum thinking that I'd play a part in helping to improve the healthcare system. The reality couldn't have been further from the truth.