Toxicity is everywhere and while it can manifest more in large companies, it can manifest in startups too.

The worst boss I ever had was at a startup. He was an ex-airforce veteran and that made me actually join the company for I respected the veterans and also felt they were trustworthy. Boy, was I wrong about that!

In the year and half I was there, he was always compalaining and blaming it on others incl. his directs, his boss and even his colleagues. It seemed that he was never in the position of authority, despite being a c-level exec. And only when I got backstabbed by him, did I realize that, man! this guy pulled a fast one on me.

The worst of all managers imo is the complainer. Because they dont take the hard decisions and instead wait for others to take those decisions and either take the credit or shift the blame to them.

Good luck with your next role.