Unexpectedly corporate vibes all around - Software Engineer Canonical Employee Review

1.0
Oct 5, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I had the opportunity to work with some incredibly smart, well-education, and interesting coworkers, which was one of the major highlights of my experience. The company also offers great opportunities for international travel, which can be a plus for those looking to expand their global experience. Additionally, the brand is well-known in the developer world, which can be a significant boost for your resume.

Cons

For a company that positions itself as technical, the work was surprisingly lacking in technical depth. The environment is neither psychologically safe nor inclusive, with management showing little trust in its employees. Performance management is driven by tighter and tighter margins, leading to a high-pressure atmosphere that takes a toll on morale. Success often hinges more on navigating office politics than on actual performance, which makes the workplace more stressful and undermines meritocracy. Despite being an open-source company, it operates with a rigid, corporate structure that contradicts the collaborative and transparent values typically associated with open-source culture.

Explore other reviews about Canonical

5.0
Apr 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

very good. happy so far

Cons

could be better, like the time of application to final round

2.0
Jan 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

> Highly visible open source company > O.K. pay and benefits > Twice yearly trips to interesting locations > Intelligent and mostly caring colleagues > Getting to put Canonical on your resume will help your career

Cons

> Toxic leadership style trickles down to the middle management. They're ruthless and single-minded (and extremely intelligent) at the top, and those seem to be the traits that get people promoted. The promotion process is also hilariously involved, and if you don't perform they'll demote you. > Insane interview process - mine took something like four months to complete, represented like 40+ hours of my time, and was considered average. > Twice yearly trips for grueling weeklong sprints. > The company only hires the best so, if you're used to being very good at your job, here you'll only be average at best. > Stack ranking - bottom X% of employees after each biannual review are placed on a PIP. > From what I saw, there are no "personality hires". Morale is expected to be derived solely from the company-paid work trips and the experience of getting paid to create open source software. Maybe this is unavoidable for full-remote companies, but it gets gloomy. > The video-on calls with your team and other teams will take up several hours of every single day, good luck finding time to actually get your work done during the day.

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