Beware of micro-managers and ass-kissing execs - Anonymous employee Salesforce Employee Review

2.0
Aug 5, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent pay, good benefits, flexible telecommuting policy, nice co-workers

Cons

Transitioning from start-up to big corporation, execs are young and eager to please parent company in Cali by kissing up while transferring the stress to employees. Zero tolerance for mistakes but not giving any warning sign until the last minute before they fire you. Due to poor location excellent employees are few and far between, so mediocre but ass-kissing people get to stay. Managers are all great players of politics. Employees don't dare to speak their mind just to keep their jobs in the "best" company of the area. Mid-level people managers have no clue in managing so resort to micromanagement. Typical "boys club" culture with no advancement opportunity for female. Only those who play well with their managers and drink the Salesforce cool-aid will thrive. The V2MOM is a joke as performance review has nothing to do with it, meaning delivering results doesn't mean you are good enough. Fear of mistakes and risk averse mindset is suffocating the humanity and innovation this company once had.

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5.0
Jul 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fantastic culture, cutting edge products, exposure to a huge range of customers, lots of internal development opportunities, good compensation, great benefits, flexible hours,

Cons

The variable compensation for SEs could be better. The nice thing is that so long as you're doing your job well enough, you'll get paid roughly what is advertised, but there are times when going above and beyond doesn't net you much more.

4.0
Jul 9, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I've spent over 8 years with Salesforce in various management and individual contributor roles, all customer or partner facing. Some of the pros: - vibrant, fast paced culture - smart, fun, aggressive colleagues - management is focused on latest tech trends and staying or becoming a leader for many of them - by and large, customers and partners are very positive about the technology - good benefits and perqs - hip urban culture at HQ - a chart-your-own-course mentality that rewards those who aggressively seek out the job they want and pursue it, or sometimes even create it

Cons

After my long tenure and many Dreamforce conferences, I'm nearly fried. To say the culture is fast paced and the focus is always changing is an understatement. The reason Salesforce always seems on top, and chasing the latest trend, and in the press, is because employees are expected to run harder, carry more, cheer loudly, and pivot constantly. It's the world's biggest startup in behavior. But at the same time, with the recent influx of top career sales leaders from Oracle and what appears to be a board-level mandate for doubling revenue, employees are being asked to do even more with even less, fill higher quotas with smaller territories, less help, and the big company bureaucracy is rearing it's ugly head. Worse still is the politics. When you hire a bunch of smart, aggressive people, and put them in an environment of outsized expectations, throw in a bunch of re-orgs and changing management, and sprinkle with uncertainty and constantly changing priorities, you inevitably get people back stabbing each other and throwing others under the bus to appear smarter and more worthy of promotion. The few at the top will get very, very rich. The rest will lose the sense of personal ownership and start to wonder why they've given up health and family

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Salesforce Response
2y
It's not often that you get the opportunity to respond to a review 10 years in but your comprehensive and thoughtful review has managed to hold on as one of our most popular even a decade in :) It’s exciting to see that the things we love most about the Salesforce of today — super smart colleagues, being at the forefront of tech trends and establishing ourselves as leaders in the space, great benefits and perks to name a few — haven’t changed in the past 10 years. We acknowledge the challenges you faced, such as the pace, shifting priorities, and internal politics. Your advice on maintaining our foundational vision while avoiding big-company bureaucracy is helpful as we continue to grow as the #1 AI CRM. Salesforce is committed to balancing growth with employee well-being and staying true to our core values. We appreciate your insights and dedication over the years. Thanks again for your feedback!
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