Good place to work, but lacks clear direction - Staff Software Engineer Cloudera Employee Review

4.0
Sep 16, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Cloudera is a good place to work as an engineer. I can see that the company really takes care of their employees and I feel a sense of loyalty because of this. Work-life balance - From unlimited PTO to "unplug" days that force everyone to take time away from work; Cloudera really does "walk-the-talk" in ensuring there is a sustainable work-life balance. Peers - I have been fortunate to work with lots of smart people at Cloudera that are experts in numerous disciplines. You'll probably work with the person who wrote the book on subject X at some point Management - Management focuses on transparency and regularly makes themselves available to answer questions from rank-and-file employees. Management seems to genuinely care about the employee experience. Growth - The company is reorienting itself to head-off competitors and the ever-evolving competitive landscape. This can be chaotic, but also provides interesting challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. If you want to engineer big data products, Cloudera is the place to be.

Cons

Lacks clear direction - A clear direction is rarely shared by everyone. It doesn't feel like we are all focused on moving in the same direction. Major initiatives do not seem well-organized and can be chaotic. Overseas hiring - Most of the company's hiring is occurring overseas in lower-cost markets. If you lose an Engineer in the US or UK you're most likely going to have to back-fill with someone from a lower cost market who doesn't have as much experience or knowledge. Remote first? - Cloudera is trying to evolve into a remote-first company (as many others are too), but not making enough progress in this area. Home office - There is minimal assistance in maintaining a home office for remote workers. The company only provides a laptop and a one-time stipend which won't even cover the cost of a desk. You'll have to pay for everything else out-of-pocket. Open source - I used to enjoy contributing to open source projects as part of my day-to-day job. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case due to the company's evolving product strategy.

Explore other reviews about Cloudera

5.0
Jun 10, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone is willing to help and wants to see you succeed Lots of opportunities to grow within the company/organization Flexible work/life balance Strong Technology

Cons

Multiple platforms - troubling at first to balance between them all, but after some time it is a breeze.

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Cloudera Response
2w
Thank you for the 5-star review. We are delighted to hear that you find Cloudera to be a supportive environment with strong growth opportunities and great work-life balance. We also appreciate your feedback regarding our multiple platforms. We are glad to hear that navigation becomes smoother over time, and we are proud to have you on the team in Austin.
5.0
Jun 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* Amazing and supportive community with highly talented and approachable colleagues. * Welcoming, inclusive, and friendly culture that makes it easy to feel part of the team. * Excellent technology stack built around Apache Software Foundation projects and modern engineering practices. * Strong open-source-first mindset that promotes innovation, transparency, and collaboration. * Flexible work arrangements with the option to work from home, while office attendance is encouraged to foster collaboration and maintain a strong sense of community. * Gorgeous offices worldwide that provide an inspiring and comfortable work environment. * Plenty of opportunities to learn, grow, and work on impactful projects alongside exceptional engineers.

Cons

* The highly flexible work-from-home culture, while appreciated by many, can sometimes lead to sparsely populated offices. Employees who value face-to-face interactions and spontaneous collaboration may find it harder to build connections and discover new opportunities. * Processes and organizational structures are intentionally lightweight, but this can occasionally result in unclear ownership, shifting priorities, and coordination challenges when deadlines approach. * The strong emphasis on autonomy means teams may operate differently, which can make cross-team coordination and planning less predictable. * Communication and collaboration often require a proactive approach, especially in a distributed environment.

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Cloudera Response
2w
Thank you for your 5-star review and your eight years of dedication to Cloudera. We are glad you value our inclusive culture, open-source mindset, and talented team. We appreciate your constructive feedback on cross-team coordination and distributed collaboration. Your insights are incredibly valuable as we continue to improve our planning processes while maintaining the workplace flexibility our employees enjoy.
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