Worst place to work as a software engineer - Software Engineer ByteDance Employee Review

1.0
Apr 25, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Worst place to work. Every form of communication is in Chinese

Cons

Long hours. Salary used to be good earlier but now it’s average and most of the docs are in Chinese. It has made my life a living hell

Explore other reviews about ByteDance

5.0
Jun 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance is amazing

Cons

There are no cons for this role

2.0
Jul 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The pay is competitive, and the overall compensation package is fairly good.

Cons

If you are not Chinese, career advancement can be significantly more difficult, especially when it comes to promotion opportunities and visibility with leadership. I previously worked in HR compliance at ByteDance. While large-scale layoffs may happen less frequently than at some other companies, the company may use many unusual or legally questionable approaches to pressure employees to resign or justify termination. Employees should be very careful, understand company policies, and keep written records of important conversations.

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