Rudderless, no long term vision, lacking leadership - Product Manager SoundHound Employee Review

1.0
Aug 19, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Food, nice office, veneer of culture

Cons

Working in Product at SoundHound has been a deeply disappointing experience. The company seems to lack a coherent direction, with leadership constantly chasing the latest tech trends without ever fully committing to or delivering on any of them. The sole focus of SoundHound appears to be on replacing minimum-wage fast-food workers with automation, which feels like a short-sighted and ethically questionable mission. Leadership, particularly the COO, makes brash and impulsive decisions that are often poorly thought out. These decisions seem to prioritize short-term gains and self-interest over the long-term health and stability of the company. Information is frequently withheld from the team, leading to confusion and a sense that the leadership is more concerned with covering their own interests than fostering a transparent and collaborative environment. The recent 40% layoffs, while execs were awarded huge stock bonuses speaks volumes about the culture here. Overall, the lack of vision, direction, and integrity in the leadership at SoundHound makes it a challenging and frustrating place to work. If you're looking for a company with a clear mission and leadership you can trust, this isn't the place. For those who weren't laid off, the average tenure is about 15 years. So these aren't movers and shakers, just folks who are complacent, comfortable, and don't want to rock the boat.

Explore other reviews about SoundHound

5.0
Apr 2, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people and hard problems.

Cons

None that I remember from then.

3.0
Apr 13, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Small company tech perks; currently riding the momentum of AI excitement. There are some solid, intelligent managers especially on the engineering side that seek the good of their team members and protect them from politics. Flexible work and no meaningful return to office enforced

Cons

SoundHound used to be a place where excellence mattered over ego, where commitment to doing the right thing trumped politics. Where the goalpost was building great products with quality underlying technology. The goalposts have shifted, but it’s not clear to where. No longer does a movement toward building the best tech drive the team. Instead, a slew of acquisitions have made insecure politicking and delaying decisions the drivers to how the company clunks along from quarter to quarter. A lack of unity at the top trickles down to senior and middle management. It is no longer clear what the product priorities are and why, and there are too many VPs to count (and it’s unclear what being a VP/exec means - there is no minimum size of department or scope of responsibility to get that title, so it loses its credibility). Lots of talk and not a lot of action. They say the more someone talks about something, the less they are probably living it. When leaders talk about the importance of leadership, authenticity, and integrity, it often indicates they are not actually embodying those words.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All