Toxic culture with a lot of fluctuation - Software Engineer Toptal Employee Review

1.0
Apr 24, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Hi, unfortunately I agree with all the low reviews here. Don't get fooled by the positive reviews, change the sorting to "Sort: Most Recent" and check the critical reviews as well. - 100% remote work - You work mostly with experienced developers (however, >98% white man) - Some developers are very friendly and helpful - Some teams have quite interesting projects/codebases - Ambitious company goals

Cons

- Unfortunately, the management is very chaotic and unprofessional. - Most of them have no soft skills (including CEO). - As a developer, you have almost no contact to the management. They don't care at all how you're doing, if you need help or support, etc. They only watch how many tickets you finish. If you underperform and you are lucky, you will get a warning, otherwise they will lay you off. - Even though I never met the CEO, I just heard weird stories and jokes about him. The employees don't really trust him and they have quite a toxic relationship. - They don't treat you as a valuable employee, you are just a role which can (and will be) replaced as soon as they find another role with better qualifications (on the paper). - Strong "hiring and firing" culture. - No diversity at all (which results in quite a toxic and competitive culture). - During my time at Toptal I have seen a lot of developers leaving (or got terminated). In my team of 8 developers half of them either changed teams or left the company (in just 6 months). - No support to improve in your field, no support in career progression. You have to do it on your own, in your free time. - There is also just low support in understanding the technical parts. They will tell you to read the code, which is fine if you have the time, but in general you are already under pressure finishing your tickets. - No mentorship. - There is a culture of blame and fear. If you make a mistake, people will shout at you. These are just the important points, I encourage you to go through the other low reviews with more insights on how it is to work at Toptal.

Explore other reviews about Toptal

5.0
Jul 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Professional and interested in quality work.

Cons

Not really a con, but more work waiting than hours allow.

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Toptal Response
1w
Thank you for your valuable feedback! Your insights are important to us.
4.0
Jul 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

TopTal has been an amazing way to connect with a wider range of companies and teams. As a freelancer I have found their vetting process (both for talent and for clients) to be effective and apt.

Cons

At times the process for engaging with clients or tracking work is unclear. Once you've gone through it a couple of times, however, it's easier to navigate.

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Toptal Response
9h
Thank you for your valuable feedback! Your insights are important to us.
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