The most pathetic company I've ever worked for - Anonymous employee CoStar Group Employee Review

1.0
Sep 17, 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

They pay relatively high salaries (to compensate for the fact no one would want to join them otherwise - they also don't really care about making inflated offers as they'll fire people for any bs reason whenever it may suit them). Accept it at your own peril!

Cons

In more than 15 years of professional experience in multiple workplaces (some harsher, some lighter), I can confidently say CoStar is the most pathetic company I've ever worked for. Discriminatory, old-fashioned, unethical, bureaucratic, hierarchical, highly contradictory, self-defeating, utterly corporate, deluded, limited, non-existing culture! Don't believe me? Just pay attention to Glassdoor's ratings on the business here - or even better: check "CoStar memes" on Google/Reddit. I've never seen people looking so dreadful in an office before... as if their souls are about to escape their bodies. If you're in London, don't be fooled by their address in the Shard: their office is actually quite basic and extremely boring. By walking around, you can really see on people's faces that they are there just for a paycheck, hating themselves for representing that business, counting the minutes to leave. It isn't unusual to take the lift and then hear staff complaining about unfair treatment. A very 'American' company, CoStar is too culturally insensitive to the countries it operates in. Managers are left like headless chickens, running in circles. Pointless meetings, inhumane/insane decisions... a lot of the company's problems are very clearly of their own making: and they do not accept change. Don't even try. CoStar is fully controlled by its owner, who along with his creepy senior team are a bunch of fickle, chaotic, deeply uncharismatic loonies. Only unremarkable, yes-men can really thrive in this environment. The company is extremely dysfunctional, unimaginative and inefficient. It should actually be much bigger and more successful than it is, given the market it operates in. It manages to keep its relevance though as it effectively created a monopoly. Despite claiming to be a fast-growing business, with a high self-inflated sense of importance, the reality is that they still haven't even managed to get to 7,000 employees, despite being almost 40 years old. CoStar's real expansion plans have been stuck for years. The company doesn't grow organically at all: the way it grows is only through monopolistic mergers and acquisitions. They're constantly acquiring new, successful businesses in the field... to then suck the life and joy out of them, and move on to the next victim. It's sad to see the number of otherwise promising businesses that they just managed to completely empty of real talent and stagnate. Disconcertingly, they couldn't care less about playing with their employees' lives and even seem proud to not give a second thought to firing staff at will - almost always for reasons the company is fully responsible for, such as following inadequate hiring plans or setting completely confusing expectations. When questioned, they'll gaslight employees as much as they can get away with, petulantly claiming that they fire so much because staff doesn't meet its 'high' expectations... but the reality is that it's CoStar's management that is highly incompetent, and definitely doesn't meet expectations. Everyone can see it. It's the Daily Mail saying, not me: 'Ruthless' CEO of real estate data powerhouse CoStar 'created toxic environment where 1,546 of its 4,200 workers quit or where fired last year: 'Pointed a loaded GUN at one exec over Zoom and sent another a shot-up target' Can you believe it?

Explore other reviews about CoStar Group

5.0
Jul 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work-life balance is quite good

Cons

There isn't a ton of flexibility, but you get a lot of PTO that makes up for it

1.0
Jul 9, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This company makes a strong first impression during the interview and training process. Unfortunately, my experience after onboarding was very different. Decision-making is highly centralized, leaving employees with very little autonomy. The company emphasizes ethics and integrity, but my experience did not consistently reflect those values. Favoritism also appeared to play a significant role in how employees were treated and how decisions were made. HR presents itself as a resource for employees, but concerns often end with, “It will be up to your manager.” That can be frustrating when the issue involves your manager or requires an impartial review. CoStar has developed a reputation for these issues, and from what I experienced, it wasn’t always this way. A few years ago, the company at least appeared to prioritize its employees. Today, that commitment feels diminished. The return-to-office expectations can also be unreasonable. During severe weather, employees are still expected to report to the office even when many other companies in the area allow employees to work remotely for safety. Finally, performance expectations and metrics are frequently changed, making goals increasingly difficult to achieve. Combined with inconsistent communication from leadership, it creates an environment where employees often feel unsupported and uncertain about expectations.

Cons

Good Health Benefits for families and singles Decent pay

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