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AKQA

Acquired by WPP

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Be Careful - Anonymous employee AKQA Employee Review

1.0
Mar 13, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Nice names on resume - A lot of young and hopeful creatives to work with

Cons

- Advancement based entirely on nepotism, promotions are handed out like candy if you are in the right circles - Inexperienced leadership in every department - Clique culture/High School mentality - Leadership is totally lacking in the charisma/leadership skills needed to lead company during difficult periods - Management more focused on external image (fake PR stories, fake Glassdoor reviews) than internal change - Account services is the worst I've ever worked with, will cave to the client, then lie to the team about how negotiations went down - Back biting and political maneuvering is rampant and seems to be encouraged. - Sexual harassment is not uncommon, a team member's career progress was essentially halted for turning down a sexual advance from a director-level coworker from another department. - Company will try to overwork you, and don't be fooled into thinking those extra hours will be rewarded. There are no bonuses, and comp days will be distributed stingily. A year of weekend work will MAYBE result in one extra vacation day as compensation.

Explore other reviews about AKQA

5.0
Mar 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

solid people, remote work, good work

Cons

company is a little lost at the moment. struggling with profitability

3.0
Jul 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Design and Strategy teams on the west coast in 2021-2023 incredibly smart and strong in their craft. Overall it is hard not to be impressed with the output and some of what the brand can produce

Cons

NY and DC teams were unpleasant. Competitive fearful vibe compared to other creative and tech industries I have been in. My guess is because everything is based on what accounts and projects they can capture and during this time tech accounts were pulling out of further business as their markets slowed. WPP (the parent company) began lay offs and shuttered whole agencies exasperating this.

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