These horses need corralling - Anonymous employee Defense Unicorns Employee Review

1.0
Feb 19, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- There are some legitimately brilliant humans who work here (some might say: unicorns!) and are pushing every day for things to be different at this company. - Their salary bands are insane (or at least were during my time with them)—I have never been paid so much to do so little.

Cons

- Frankly, this is a sinking ship. Budgets are poorly managed which resulted in multiple rounds of layoffs during the short amount of time I was there. If things keep going the way they were, I do not foresee a long future for the company. - Nepotism is rampant. If you are not someone's relative, spouse, or close friend? You will not be able to make any discernable impact here, as leadership lives and dies by the advice of the good ol' boys club. - There is no clear direction for any department, it is all at the whims of the founders whose priorities it seemed changed daily. This resulted in a bunch of extremely competent, hard-working team members left to just twiddle their thumbs or waste their time on projects that would be dropped the following month.

Explore other reviews about Defense Unicorns

5.0
Mar 4, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I recently joined Defense Unicorns, and I can confidently say they are exactly who they say they are. In the two months I've been with the team, I have zero regrets. The level of ownership across the organization is high, and that kind of trust and autonomy is refreshing. Before coming on board, I did a deep dive into the company. I knew that at one point there had been a rightsizing after the company scaled a bit too quickly. What I appreciated most was how open and honest everyone was about it during the interview process. Every interviewer welcomed the question and spoke candidly about what happened and what the company learned from it. With the company having recently hit Series B and reaching a $1B valuation, it's an exciting time.

Cons

I don't have any cons to list. Although it's a remote-first company, the culture is very welcoming and it's easy to connect with team members across different department.

2
5.0
Oct 11, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I’ve been with Defense Unicorns for about two years in a few different roles, and I can honestly say the mission and the people are what make it special. The company attracts some of the most capable and humble people I’ve ever worked with. Leadership trusts you early, and that trust deepens the longer you’re here. It’s a place that values thinkers and doers . . . if you like figuring things out, you’ll thrive. I’m proud of how much we focus on open source software and on making software delivery faster and more secure for the people who protect the country. The culture is mission-first most of the time, and that really matters.

Cons

Constant change can be tough. Things move fast, and there isn’t always a clear process or direction. Leadership acknowledges it, but the reality is that this is a startup and you either adapt and swim, or it’s probably not the right fit. Some reviews mention a “good ole boy network.” I get where that perception comes from, but my experience has been that trust is usually earned here. The “inner circle” isn’t closed, you just have to show initiative, build relationships, and deliver.

2
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