Once great, trying to rebound - Marketing Criteo Employee Review

2.0
Nov 8, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Best-in-Class Core Product: retargeting performance marketing solution is still the best in the business Global Culture: opportunity to work with, and learn from, smart people representing different regions, countries and cultures Strong Benefits: wide variety of benefits beyond the standard ones, including employee reward program, learning and professional development, volunteering, and more Office Destinations: unique and inviting office spaces throughout the world, particularly in Barcelona, Boston, New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Brazil People: most employees are very kind, smart, driven, hard working, and exude an entrepreneurial spirit

Cons

Lack of Leadership Experience: many of the newer leadership members do not have actual industry experience, and in some cases like Marketing, don't even have experience in Marketing. In addition, many do not seem to have the experience or leadership qualities to guide teams through large transformations. As evidenced by Marketing senior leaders’ lack of empathy, poor handling, and dismissal of loyal, high-performing Marketing employees who were impacted by layoffs and other organizational changes. In addition, Marketing senior leaders, particularly CMO, can act unprofessional and immature at times, with a tendency to play favorites. Solution Divide: internal friction between teams focused on core Criteo retargeting and retail media solutions, causing teams (i.e. Sales, Marketing, Product) to essentially compete against each other rather than work together for the greater good. This starts with the leaders of those commercial teams, who, up to this point, have demonstrated that they cannot, and will not, work well together. Ever-changing Priorities: CMO, VP and commercial leaders seem to shift priorities constantly and put more value on lavish customer events and programs rather than strategies that actually impact the business. This causes a lot of stress on the teams who are delivering on plans and are already experiencing burnout. Feedback Backlash: employees are constantly asked for feedback through a number of surveys, but it rarely translates into any action from the company. This is particularly true in Marketing where the CMO and VP request feedback from Marketing only to chastise and dismiss those who shared anything that was less than positive, creating a toxic team environment where most are now reluctant to ever share honest feedback again. Career Growth: inconsistent policies across the organization on job titles, positions, spans, levels and pay. This results in favoritism and roadblocks on career progression.

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Criteo Response
3y
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. We regret hearing that you had such a mixed experience with us. ​ 2021 was the year we announced our plan to become the world-leading Commerce Media Platform, as well as our common vision that is shared between all teams. We are sorry to hear that you have felt pressured moving into this new direction. Over 2021 we created the Transformation Portal and regularly conducted All Hands to make sure all teams were onboard and connected as we are convinced that everyone has a role to play in aiming for the gold medal. ​ We are putting a great emphasis on listening efforts to improve the Criteos experience together. This is one of the reason why we make sure that Manager Feedback is anonymous to favor transparency, as well as making peer feedback mandatory from people outside the team. Our HR team follows up closely on the result, proposing tailored action plan involving the whole team when required. ​ ​Again we are sorry this is not what you experienced. We hope that you have found what you were looking for in your next experience. ​

Explore other reviews about Criteo

5.0
Jun 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great environment, great people to work with

Cons

Need to go back to office

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Criteo Response
6d
We're thrilled to receive such positive feedback and to know that you've found a place where you can grow and thrive at Criteo. Thank you for sharing and for your trust all these years. It's great to have you on the team!
1.0
Feb 26, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Earlier in my time at Criteo, the culture was a true strength. Teams were collaborative, capable, and invested in delivering value to clients. There are still incredibly smart, hardworking people across the organization when they are given the resources needed to deliver strong work.

Cons

Morale has declined significantly due to direction from upper leadership. Executive communications often feel scripted and disconnected from the realities teams are navigating. Employees are facing burnout, layoffs, no merit compensation growth, and increasing workloads without clear strategic guidance. Leadership layers have expanded in ways that create bottlenecks and slow decision making, while individual contributors lack clarity on priorities and long term direction. Internal mobility has been restricted, limiting opportunities for promotion or role movement at the same time compensation progression has been removed. Salary transparency was removed from internal and external role descriptions, which has impacted trust. Despite positive performance, cost discipline appears to disproportionately affect employees rather than being shared equitably across leadership levels. Additionally, a return to office policy has been implemented, including for employees originally hired as remote. This has added strain and uncertainty for teams.

9
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Criteo Response
3mo
Thank you for sharing such detailed feedback. Every decision we make is taken with our long-term organizational health in mind. From top leadership to individual contributors, we are all committed to building sustainable success for our company and the people in it. Making Criteo a place where everyone can grow is a shared priority, and that’s why we equally value vertical and horizontal career pathways. When it comes to individual recognition, our merit compensation processes are structured and similar across our entire organization to ensure maximum fairness and equity. Since Criteo's success is built on connections, we strongly encourage our teams to come together to boost innovation and collaboration at once. By blending office presence with flexible options, we keep trust at the core of our work approach since everyone remain empowered to manage their time, energy, and schedule the way they see fit. Open feedback helps us improve and move forward, so thank you for sharing yours!
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