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 33 reviews)); "The established culture is great and growing with each month." ((in 26 reviews)); "Amazing colleagues and company mission." ((in 10 reviews)); "They really care about their clients and work hard for a good work environment" ((in 6 reviews)); "Hires incredibly smart individual contributors, has nice startup perks (free food, unlimited PTO, etc.), transparency and open discourse" ((in 4 reviews))

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

"Poor management is everywhere and this is not an exception." ((in 10 reviews)); "The company's existing business model is not sustainable, which is currently resulting in layoffs and additional stress for remaining employees." ((in 8 reviews)); "Work/life balance is challenging." ((in 7 reviews)); "a lot of people have left finding better pay elsewhere." ((in 5 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

4.0

Apr 12, 2018

Organism engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Things are constantly changing, there are a lot of smart people, the projects are cool, the customers i have been working with were great, you learn a lot, and it's super motivating to work with people that are super passionate about their jobs.

Cons

There is a lot of pressure to deliver. Timelines to deliver products to customers are often agressive. People that are not good with change and working in a dynamic environment probably wont feel comfortable at Ginkgo.

5.0

Apr 11, 2018

Great Technology / Great Culture

Test engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

This company has it all: 1. Ginkgo is operating on a scale which never ceases to amaze guest lucky enough to get a tour. 2. The culture, which has been actively fostered by the founders, provides a transparent atmosphere in which to exchange ideas and try things outside of your comfort zone. 3. The people here are young, driven and intelligent. It is a joy to work alongside this group, learn from their experience and contribute to the success of the company.

Cons

I do not find any cons of consequence with Ginkgo

4.0

Apr 11, 2018

Great work environment, still early on in proving ourselves as a company

Fermentation engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Always room to learn and grow Respect and responsibility even in entry roles Company culture is really fun and friendly Transparent upper management Shallow hierarchy Flexible schedule Good benefits package

Cons

Compensation seems low for the level of work in this industry, especially at entry level positions Weekend work is not compensated and often required As in any other start-up, delivering on deals isn't ever easy or stress-free

Viewing 178 - 180 of 189 Reviews

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