Tragic excuse of leadership. Save your sanity and steer clear. - Anonymous employee Code3 Employee Review

1.0
Apr 7, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Being fully remote. That's the entire list.

Cons

Leadership (and I use that term generously) is a genuine nightmare. Complacency isn't just tolerated here, it's the operating model. Everyone is protecting themselves, and no one will hesitate to throw a colleague under the bus to come out unscathed. Those at the top have zero respect for the people doing the actual work, zero skill or desire to advocate for their teams, and a bottomless appetite for spouting "company values" that are as hollow as they are performative. What makes this place genuinely indefensible: leadership is fully aware of blatantly racist behavior from clients and does nothing. When employees raise micro-aggressive or outright racist incidents, the response is silence and inaction. The client-pleasing-at-any-cost mentality overrides basic human decency. In 2026, that's not just poor management, it's a moral failure. The internal culture isn't much better. It's a straight-up popularity contest. If you're not in with the right clique, your voice doesn't exist. Original thinking is quietly discouraged, which tracks, because there isn't much of it happening at the top either. Leadership has surrounded itself with people who look, think, and operate exactly the same way, which means there's no one left with the perspective or the spine to call anything out. When everyone at the top is cut from the same cloth, incompetence goes completely unnoticed because no one has the benchmark to recognize it. They're all too busy validating each other. There are people collecting significant salaries in leadership roles whose entire contribution is parroting client feedback back to the team (while never asking hard questions), and because the people above them are no different, it flies completely under the radar. At this point they've outsourced what little thinking is required of them to AI, because genuine original thought, creative problem solving, and intellectual curiosity are simply not present. It's copy, paste, and call it strategy. What becomes obvious very quickly is that people who actually have values, a strong work ethic, and the willingness to advocate for what's right are not celebrated here, they're treated as a threat. Integrity makes the people in charge uncomfortable. And rather than reflect on that or do anything to improve, they will quietly push those people out and call it something else entirely. It's easier to get rid of the person holding up the mirror than to look at what's in it. Money is king, employees are numbers, and they will tell you how much they value you while making it abundantly clear that you are entirely replaceable. I read the Glassdoor reviews before accepting this job and ignored every red flag. I have never regretted anything more. This place is not worthy of your talent, your skills, or your mental health.

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Code3 Response
3mo
Thank you for taking the time to share this. The themes you raise in your post, particularly around leadership accountability, psychological safety, and how we respond to concerns about client behavior, we take seriously. Your specific concerns did not reach the appropriate leadership channels: that is a gap in our system and something we are addressing. We want to be clear that we do not tolerate discrimination or disrespect from anyone, clients included. When concerns are raised, they are expected to be addressed directly and consistently. Over the past year, we have made intentional changes to position the company for the future. As part of that, we are continuing to strengthen how we operate, how leaders show up, and how we support our teams. There are several areas we are actively investing in: Clear expectations and accountability for leaders Stronger manager capability and development More direct and reliable channels, including anonymous options that allow employees to raise concerns directly to leadership and receive timely responses Increasing transparency in how concerns are handled, with clearer follow-through and communication on what actions are taken Ensuring feedback leads to visible action We know trust is built through consistent actions over time. That is where our focus is, and we are committed to continuing to improve. Feedback like this, while difficult, is part of that process.

Explore other reviews about Code3

5.0
Jul 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Above-average compensation Dynamic team environment No silo mentality – everyone works towards the same goals. Interesting projects and campaigns Managers focus on real results and encourage testing new ideas.

Cons

No coddling – you’re expected to have strong skills and make decisions quickly.

5.0
Jul 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- I say all this as someone who has been around the industry and others: Code3 is one of the better places I've ever worked. - Awesome team members, legit some of the best / smartest people I've worked with, including my managers (despite other reviews) - Love my clients, and leaders have gotten so much better at assigning clients to team members based on interests and specialization (still a work in progress) - Good managers who care about me and are trying to make it all work - Fiscal transparency w/ monthly town hall meetings - Leadership is really trying to make things better in a turbulent macro-economy - If you are committed to 1% better everyday, and challenging yourself rather than waiting on others to push you, you will excel

Cons

- The main negative is there are a few unhappy team members who want to infect those around them; immaturity even at the mid and lower senior levels makes team dynamics difficult at times - As with any agency, the hours can be more than 40/week - especially on more complex accounts - Agency stability is based on client outcomes, more clients = growth, less clients = layoffs - simple business economics tbh - We could use more junior talent, to develop and provide tactical support, so CP and Activation leads can focus more on client strategy

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