This is what I've been searching for - Director of Engineering HubSpot Employee Review

5.0
Oct 20, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I've worked in the software industry in the northeast for more than a decade, and while I've been successful there's always been something missing. At HubSpot I feel like I've finally found what I've been looking for (take that, U2). I know that sounds like a big statement but everything I've seen in engineering aligns so perfectly with the values I've practiced and preached, from the top of the stack to the bottom. I don't want to bore you to death with an essay, but here are some of the things that really stand out: * The technical talent on the team is amazing. I've worked with brilliant engineers in the past, but the consistent level of intelligence, capability, and competence here is impressive. * The passion the entire team gives and the pride they take in what we're doing is such a motivator and inspiration. I've read the same stuff you have about the 'cult'; it couldn't be farther from the truth. This is hard working people taking pride in what they've accomplished. * The lack of bureaucracy and process is so refreshing. It's focused on Just Effing Doing It instead of endlessly debating and needing sign-off from eighty nine different levels. This can definitely take some getting used to because leadership is largely just sketching a very rough outline and everyone else is not only filling it in, but erasing the lines and redrawing as they see fit. It can sometimes feel like we're veering around a bit, but leadership does a fantastic job of catching that just as it's beginning to show signs of a problem and correcting it. * I didn't realize how much the politicking at my old company was affecting me until I came to a place where... well... it doesn't happen. There's a real lack of kingdom building or ladder climbing - and instead it's very much a bottoms-up mentality with a focus on what you've done and not how well you play the game. * Competence and excellence are recognized and rewarded. It's not about who you know or what group you're in; if you do awesome stuff it's seen and celebrated. I was so tired of needing to brown nose to get ahead. Here I've told my boss to his face he was wrong, or that I disagreed with our leadership, or that I was going to do something and didn't care what he thought, and rather than being smacked down I was thanked for pushing for what I knew was right. * The culture here is Absolutely. Fantastic. There's an commitment to employee satisfaction that they really do take seriously. There are regular satisfaction surveys, we have people dedicated to making it an enjoyable place to work, the company's very willing to spend money on things that could be considered frivolous - like team lunches, or trivia nights - and any tool you need to do your job better is essentially yours. I'm not naive enough to think that this is all altruism, but it definitely feels like the company cares about us as people. And what's more, that belief and focus is practiced and felt at all levels, by everyone here. I know that all this sounds too good to be true or like I'm a soulless shill, but I couldn't be happier with my decision to move here. If you're looking for a place that dispenses with the crap, does awesome things, hires amazing talent, and treats its employees with respect and kindness you could do a hell of a lot worse than HubSpot. I'm looking forward to many more years here.

Cons

This isn't a place that caters to passivity. If you're looking for a lot of hand-holding or you need structure in order to be successful then this really isn't for you. Our entire philosophy is based around small, very technical, autonomous teams, and that requires those teams to be extremely self-driven and self-directing. There's plenty of help if you ask, but if you're expecting someone to give your formal requirements, document the steps you should follow, or shepherd you through your day-to-day you're going to be sorely disappointed. We want passionate, driven, opinionated people who aren't going to sit back and let someone else make all the decisions. Our lack of structure and process is almost a negative, and I'll be the first to admit we probably need a little bit more. We're growing rapidly but we don't do an amazing job of defining defaults that lead people to the right solutions, which means every new tech lead or engineer has to figure a lot out for themselves. I think we could stand to do a better job structuring things (just a tiny bit more!) so that people fall into success more easily.

avatar
HubSpot Response
8y
Wow, this is one of the most thoughtful and thorough reviews I've seen, thanks for sharing it. One thing I often say to people is that working here is fun but it's not easy--it will challenge you, it will help you grow, and you'll have a lot of fun doing it, but it won't be easy, and I think your review does an incredible job at capturing that notion in a nutshell. I couldn't agree more with your push not to lose our "soul" as we grow, so much so that Dharmesh and I are spending a lot of time right now thinking through how we do just that and how we reinvigorate everyone around why HubSpot and why now. I'm delighted you chose to join HubSpot and hope we continue to make you proud you chose us--thanks for helping us build a product people love and for taking the time to share your insight. Sincerely, Katie

Explore other reviews about HubSpot

5.0
Jun 26, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people, everyone is so understanding and supportive. Culture is fun and energizing, people seem happy to be here. There's lots of ways to get involved outside of your day job. Awesome benefits and flexibility - love the remote first work environment, week of rest, open PTO, etc. Robust tech stack - lots of tools available for me to do my job.

Cons

Experiencing some growing pains but leadership seems receptive to feedback on it.

2.0
May 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The teams you work with are phenomenal. The knowledge combination between an internal customer facing teams, engineering product development teams, and Sales are unmatched.

Cons

Excessive use of PIPs to oust employees after multiple high revenue launches, with no explanation, actual documentation, or factual data. Reviews have been adjusted to allow for terminations post pre-approved leaves. Salaries are a joke. You are always in a cover yourself mode 24/7. Management reviews are consistently a 2 or 3 out of 5 no matter what. If a team decides you aren’t in the group, management will put you on a “unofficial” PIP without telling you, in order to surprise you at a later date. Even if they are unfounded. Beware of possibility of negative backlash post launches. They will feel the need to assign blame ( such as for timelines or issues related to bugs). Regardless of performance or level of involvement. This is an enormous company with many large paths for career advancement. But micro management is rampant, leaving little room for doing the daily expectations of your actual role. This degrades your opportunities for career advancement.

15
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All