Shiny from the outside, meh on the inside - Anonymous employee Opentrons Employee Review

3.0
Nov 5, 2021
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nimble, people generally open to ideas, smart coworkers, because it is a startup not much red tape if you want to explore your own ideas and projects.

Cons

-No clear sustained vision from leadership. Strategy seems like a crapshoot, purchase small companies and see if it sticks. No real explanation or communication around strategy. -Turnover at all levels from ICs to directors. -HR processes still slow to build. Seen improvements however a lot is still missing. Very unclear career management/trajectory, people have been stuck with same job and title for years, and performance evaluation is still somewhat ineffective, they just implemented it this year, so at least they are thinking about it. -Products not really innovative. Mostly the same as what competitors are doing, just at a lower cost. So for folks looking for highly innovative organization, this is not it. That said it's good as a first job to get your feet wet as it's not too complicated. -If you work in NYC pay is low for cost of living

Explore other reviews about Opentrons

5.0
Oct 8, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Innovative, strong product, great culture

Cons

No many, as a startup there are growing pains, but the leadership team is thoughtful and makes good decisions

2.0
Apr 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- The people. The long-time employees of the company were some of the best folks I've had the pleasure of working with. Dedicated to the mission, always willing to help, and generally smart, cool, and pleasant to be around. I also really did believe in the mission, but it's hard to accomplish it when you keep laying off/scaring away the people who can actually build the tech. - Pay and benefits were decent but raises barely cover inflation. Don't expect a promotion.

Cons

- Diversity slowly being sucked from the company leadership. The team used to be filled with all kinds of people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences--and this was something that was valued. People were encouraged to take ownership over their work and share ideas, but now the culture encourages you to just keep your head down and get your work done, don't ruffle any feathers or you're next on the chopping block. - Badly mismanaged. Some folks are extremely competent while others make you wonder how they ever became upper-level management. This has caused a lot of the most empathetic and intelligent managers to leave, being backfilled by people who don't seem to know what they're doing. - Constant layoffs. There's very little sense of security and morale continues to dip without ever recovering. - Women and minorities are generally treated poorly. Micro-aggressions, quiet demotions, and being excluded/talked over/ignored is too common. - Burnout. You are expected to do a lot of work

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