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Ginkgo BioWorks

Is this your company?

Interesting company, with some caveats - Anonymous employee Ginkgo BioWorks Employee Review

4.0
Jun 25, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Inspirational mission, we're trying to make biology easier to engineer. -Extremely meritocratic culture in meetings and decision-making -Rapidly expanding into new industries -Smart, interesting coworkers -"Management" (if such a thing can be said to exist) is very transparent about decision-making and business direction -Vacation and work hours are flexible. Nobody has to worry about burning a vacation day for comcast or a sick kid.

Cons

-Handful of phd hires from academia complained about being lowballed on compensation, so try to have another offer in hand to negotiate more effectively. -Tries to hire "rock stars" for mundane roles, but not all padawan/intern positions have real career potential. Ginkgo has spent time thinking critically about padawan career trajectories, and has more or less decided that we are okay with that moving forward (at least for some departments).

Explore other reviews about Ginkgo BioWorks

5.0
Jun 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

a hands-off management style and a flexible work environment that promotes autonomy and trust

Cons

Occasional overtime may be required, but that is common in most workplaces

2.0
Jun 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Exciting, diverse projects. Excellent coworkers.

Cons

The company has been downsizing since I was hired, and everyone is perpetually terrified of losing their jobs.

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