Carnegie Dartlet reviews

What happens when a company touting their “people first” ethos sells out to private equity? The slow death of what made Carnegie a great place to work. In the past I was happy to recommend open positions to my network as Carnegie felt like a rare gem in the agency landscape, but today I would not share an open role with anyone. The openings are there because talented people are fleeing the high-stress/low stability work environment or are dismissed from the company with little compassion or explanation. One day they’re a green bubble on slack, and the next they’re like a ghost who you’re not allowed to ask about. Every day a new team member departure is announced and that, coupled with steadily dropping morale in the last ~10 months from constant restructures and lack of basic human empathy, leads to a workplace where cheer feels forced. Company “events” feel like mandatory places where you need to show how much you love it here even if the reality of your day is far from the “people first” workplace they talk about. Even if you are insulated in a smaller team or with good direct managers, the constant restructures and firings lead to a lot of stress and feeling like the company is spinning its wheels. It’s demoralizing point blank. As other reviews have alluded to, it feels like the same 10 people constantly get promoted to new roles while others are passed over. As Carnegie acquires new companies it also frequently fires their leadership after a few months once they wring out any industry good will or novel approaches - taking what they’ve built over years and discarding them like used batteries who have been sucked dry. The writing is on the wall that Carnegie cares more for its profits and benefiting the private equity firm than taking care of its employees. A place that once felt like a breath of fresh air now has the corporate stink.

I’m leaving this review because I wish someone had been this honest before I joined. The massive number of open positions you see right now is not a sign of growth or momentum — in my opinion, it’s a symptom of people fleeing an environment that has become unsustainable. From my experience, Carnegie is no longer the human-focused, values-driven company it once claimed to be. The culture feels hollowed out, replaced by what many employees perceived as private-equity-style decision-making: profit over people, optics over integrity, and constant instability masquerading as “restructuring.” The heart of this organization has been stripped away. Tenure, excellence, and loyalty don’t seem to matter here. I watched high-performing, deeply committed colleagues have their careers upended overnight. Meanwhile, a select few continued to rise through rapid promotions and title bumps that didn’t align with the results they delivered. To many of us, it felt like favoritism and internal politics ruled the advancement process — not fairness, not merit, and certainly not transparency. The leadership structure is bloated at the top while the people doing the real work face burnout, shifting targets, and little clarity. The so-called “growth paths” and professional development messages were, in my experience, nothing more than smoke and mirrors. The gap between what the company markets externally and what employees actually experience is staggering. If you’re considering applying, don’t be distracted by the branding, the buzzwords, or the polished image. Look deeper. Ask why so many people left. Ask how often these “restructures” happen. Ask why morale has been slipping for years. My honest advice: do yourself a favor and steer clear. This is not the Carnegie it once pretended to be, and it’s not a place I would recommend to anyone looking for stability, respect, or genuine career growth.