Dysfunctional - SWE New Grad Kikoff Employee Review

1.0
Sep 22, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good thing the office is dog friendly because you will need to constantly hug a dog to prevent yourself from dying of the stress/dysfunction

Cons

CEO has no idea what's going on to an embarrassing degree. I don't know why she's a CEO of a fintech company when she doesn't know anything about finance or tech. In review meetings, she asks obvious questions and acts like it's a deep insight. It's just a waste of everyone's time but we all have to go through the charades bc she's the CEO and whatever she says goes. CEO leaves before 5pm every day; there's no commitment on her part to the company or working harder to ramp up on all the things she doesn't know. CEO actively fosters toxic organizational politics. Because she's not involved in the day to day, she plays favorites and relies on gossip to create a picture in her mind of what's going on. So if you're an obnoxious, political person who knows how to use her lack of awareness to your advantage, you will do well. If you actually want to do honest work and have impact / grow your career, you will get thrown under the bus. If you join, be aware that your equity will most likely be worthless. Comp is not competitive and you will have very little growth opportunities due to the bloated size and politics in the org, which also is trickled down from the toxic personality of the CEO. People say you have to choose between "learn or earn" well here you will do neither.

Explore other reviews about Kikoff

5.0
Jun 27, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Fair compensation, reasonable work-life-balance, and good in-office perks -People at Kikoff are genuinely some of the nicest and smartest people I've ever worked with -Good growth opportunity for people looking to push the boundaries of their responsibility

Cons

-Company feels like a startup quickly growing up, with a lot of processes and guardrails being established. This can at times feel like culture is being changed/eroded. -Upper management is sometimes a little opaque about goals and directions, more transparency will allow everyone at the company to better align on prioritization.

1
2.0
Jul 23, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Smart ICs Fast-moving environment Good benefits

Cons

There was significant leadership politics, and several strong managers were managed out as a result.

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