Can be amazing for some people, horrible for others - Software Engineer Zendesk Employee Review

2.0
Mar 23, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. Plenty of smart people. 2. Weekly happy hour. 3. Great parties. 4. HR and recruiters are good. 5. Very likable CEO.

Cons

1. Compensation is not that great when you consider that there’s no 401K match, medical benefits are okay, parking is a problem & very expensive, no commuter benefits. 2. Lots of politics in engineering groups, culture of favoritism and exclusion. Couple of people hold power and they can be the decision maker for your career. Team is poorly managed. It can be a total nightmare and career suicide if you get into a wrong team.

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5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great place to work and great benefits

Cons

None so long as you like working for a large company

1.0
Jun 29, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There is a strong concentration of talented people who bring valuable external experience and perspective to the company. Compensation and benefits — including time off — are competitive. Work‑life balance is reasonable in some areas, but if you’re not based in San Francisco, you often have to advocate for it more actively.

Cons

The company operates with a level of indecision that makes long‑term planning nearly impossible. Role creation shouldn’t be treated as a short‑term experiment, yet decisions are made and reversed quickly. In several areas, the degree of micromanagement is counterproductive — you can’t hire strong talent and then prevent them from actually using their capabilities. Whether the root cause is insecurity or lack of competence, the outcome is the same: people aren’t empowered to do the work they were brought in to do, and it’s a real organizational issue.

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