Does Ginkgo BioWorks pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Ginkgo BioWorks employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Ginkgo BioWorks. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Ginkgo BioWorks?

28% of Ginkgo BioWorks employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Ginkgo BioWorks 3.5 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.1 for culture and values and 2.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Ginkgo BioWorks?

Test Engineer (10) , Director (9) , Engineer (7) , Organism Engineer (7) , Software Engineer (6) , Associate Director (5) , Medical Technologist (5) , Scientist (5) , Senior Engineer (5) , Automation Engineer (4) , Operations Engineer (4) , Fermentation Engineer (3) , Operations (3) , Organism Engineer III (3) , Program Coordinator (3)

What are the pros of working at Ginkgo BioWorks according to real employee reviews?

"great people to work with" ((in 28 reviews)); "The established culture is great and growing with each month." ((in 27 reviews)); "Most wonderful, talented colleagues who make the company." ((in 13 reviews)); "Casual and friendly work environment" ((in 9 reviews)); "Good pay, flexible work schedule at times" ((in 5 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Ginkgo BioWorks according to real employee reviews?

"Leadership is abysmal." ((in 11 reviews)); "Poor management is everywhere and this is not an exception." ((in 10 reviews)); "Not the best job stability// frequent layoffs" ((in 8 reviews)); "Work/life balance is challenging." ((in 7 reviews)); "Disorganized, no vision, upper management is terrible" ((in 5 reviews))

What are employees saying about Ginkgo BioWorks layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Ginkgo BioWorks layoffs and their outlook for job security at Ginkgo BioWorks in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Ginkgo BioWorks locations?

Boston , West Sacramento , Cambridge , Boise , New York , Tucson , Washington , Sacramento , Emeryville , San Francisco , Seattle , Philadelphia , Worcester

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Ginkgo BioWorks

Ginkgo BioWorks reviews

3.0

28% would recommend to a friend

(189 total reviews)

Jason Kelly

30% approve of CEO

12% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.7

Diversity & inclusion

3.5

Work/Life balance

3.4

Compensation and benefits

3.1

Culture & values

2.6

Career opportunities

2.2

Senior management

Ginkgo BioWorks has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 189 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Ginkgo BioWorks employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

189 reviews

2.0

Nov 12, 2024

recent company changes

Director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexibility to work from anywhere is about the only pro left

Cons

recently the company has gone through restructuring and layoffs, they have reduced benefits, 401K match etc. Leadership is in disarray and decisions are adhoc and not well thought thru

5.0

Jan 8, 2024

Potentially bright future. Can we thread the needle?

Senior data analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Great work culture. Highly depends on the team you're on (as with most companies) - Fair compensation - Pretty good benefits - Emphasis on worker ownership, not just in platitudes, but in stock and voting power - Great transparency

Cons

The company makes revenue, but it remains to be seen if a profit can be made. Ginkgo certainly has the potential to be a powerhouse in the synthetic biology space, but whether or not it can succeed remains to be seen.

4.0

Jun 21, 2023

Innovative but political

Associate director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Amazingly innovative place. Endless fun and new projects to work on. Very independent culture where there is a lot of leeway in how much you work, what you work on, and what you prioritize.

Cons

Organization is very flat, unstructured, and political leading to challenges in decision making. Leadership is weak and does not make decisions well individually and as a group. Upward career paths are very limited for junior and mid junior individuals.

Viewing 49 - 51 of 189 Reviews

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