Question the Vision of the Company - Product/Design/Engineering Gusto Employee Review

2.0
Mar 20, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Employees are passionate and generally nice - Growing pretty quickly and most customers like the product

Cons

- "Chief product officer" has poor ideas and lacks innovative vision, unqualified to lead the direction of the company - Very clique-ish - Claims to champion diversity but sexist comments are common - Salaries are well below market and bonuses are non existent; employees are expected to be ok with this due to the "positive culture" and "upside" in equity

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Gusto Response
9y
We appreciate your honesty and perspective about Gusto’s long term vision. I’m sorry to hear you feel disappointed in how we’ve defined our strategy and direction. We intend to uphold our company value of “ownership mentality” by empowering teammates to voice their opinions freely whenever they have concerns or suggestions. We also want to make sure we’re creating an environment where people can be themselves, feel included, and grow. If you ever hear comments that you find inappropriate, please let your PE or anyone on the People Team know. We take this very seriously and will take immediate action. Compensation at Gusto is competitive in the market and very transparent to those who are considering joining the team. Beyond salary and equity, we also provide commuter benefits, meals/snacks, 401k matching, parental leave plans, and more. If you feel there are more ways for us to take better care of you as an employee, we absolutely welcome your ideas. Growing your career at Gusto is something we hope all of our team members want to strive for, which is why our performance and L&D programs exist. If you have suggestions on how to make these better, we would love your feedback! Please reach out to a member of the People Team to share.

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5.0
Jun 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Smart and friendly coworkers. Excellent team culture

Cons

Tunnel visions on AI a bit too much

2.0
May 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The product is genuinely good, too bad the same can’t be said for how they treat the people who sell it.

Cons

Leadership talks a big game about people-first culture but the reality doesn’t match. The Chicago office expansion felt like a poorly thought-out experiment, new hires were brought on without a clear long-term commitment, and layoffs came without warning, leaving people blindsided. Crossing a billion dollars in revenue and still cutting employees sends a clear message about where workers rank on the priority list. Remote work flexibility is also a glaring weakness. For a company selling HR software to modern businesses, their internal stance on where employees can work is surprisingly rigid and hypocritical. The “flexibility” messaging is mostly optics. The broader concern is the AI roadmap. The automation push feels less like an innovation strategy and more like a slow wind-down of the workforce. Employees aren’t blind to it, it creates anxiety and erodes trust. The culture of transparency they promote externally is largely a facade internally.

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