Good pay but soul-sucking culture - Survey Researcher Mathematica Employee Review

3.0
Mar 20, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good quality research going on, great colleagues, interesting work, variety of projects, excellent pay and benefits.

Cons

The culture is very competitive, with people anxiously trying to get on projects they are interested in. Seems like you have to be someone's favorite to get the best assignments. If you are one of the favorites your future is assured. If not, but your performance is otherwise impeccable, you could be stuck in the same role for a while. No interest in mentoring or building skill sets to move people ahead. Seemed rather a snobby environment to me. If you're an economist with a phd, great. If not, it doesn't really matter how many years of practical experience you have, you will not be getting leadership roles on projects of interest to you. It drains your self-esteem, makes you bitter, and gives you PTSD. Unless you are at the top of your career already, don't come here.

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5.0
Apr 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great colleagues, 401k match, and interesting work

Cons

Work life balance could be improved and more ability to move between departments

3.0
Jun 29, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Smart people, impactful work. A real community.

Cons

Poor strategic planning. Rather than performing real analysis and proactive thinking, leadership reacts to the environment. Strategy development and implementation at Mathematica seems like leadership throws wet spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks. In the 2010s, it was predictive modeling. Rather than proactively using predictive modeling to support their client's goals and the organization's mission, they created a data analytics division, hired smart people, and provided no guidance to support the division. Today, AI has replaced predictive modeling. These examples provide two instances of failures of corporate leadership; many more exist. Unfortunately, the company suffers from short-term incentives and an aversion to long-term investments. As an employee-owned company, you would think that the board and leadership would be more responsive to the employees. No! Over time, they have removed employees' voices from decision-making and focused on increasing their own power and independence.

7
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