Declining culture and morale amid cost-cutting measures
Pros
There are still some talented people at KnowBe4, and many employees genuinely care about the product, the customers, and the mission. That is what makes the current state of the company so disappointing. This used to be a place with a strong culture, real energy, and a sense that people were building something together.
Cons
KnowBe4 is not the same company anymore, and anyone interviewing here should spend serious time reading the detailed negative reviews before accepting an offer. The culture has changed dramatically since private equity and the new CEO took over. What used to feel like a mission driven company now feels like a company being dressed up for financial optics. There is constant pressure to look profitable, cut costs, and present a positive story externally, while internally morale has taken a major hit. The return to office changes are a perfect example. Employees who were already commuting three days a week were pushed to four days, regardless of whether some people were driving extremely long distances. That might look like a small policy change from the executive level, but it sends a clear message to employees: flexibility is gone, trust is lower, and leadership is no longer listening. There has also been a noticeable shift toward cheaper labor and cost cutting. Moving more roles to Costa Rica may make financial sense on a spreadsheet, but employees can see what is happening. It feels less like building a great company and more like squeezing the business before the next financial event. Turnover is another major warning sign. Customer facing teams, especially CSMs, have been hit hard. When multiple CSMs leave in a short period of time, that is not random. That is usually a sign that the people closest to customers are seeing the problems clearly and deciding it is no longer worth staying. Leadership communication has also become increasingly performative. There is a lot of talk about culture, transparency, and values, but the day to day experience does not match. Employees are expected to stay positive, protect the brand, and go along with decisions that feel disconnected from reality. The recent wave of short 5 star reviews should also raise eyebrows. Many are only one or two lines, give no meaningful examples, and read nothing like the detailed reviews from employees who are explaining what has actually changed. In my opinion, they look like reputation management and leadership pressure, not genuine employee feedback. Candidates should compare those short glowing reviews against the detailed 1 star and 2 star reviews. The difference is obvious. The detailed negative reviews are the ones giving real examples: declining morale, return to office pressure, leadership disconnect, CSM turnover, cost cutting, cheap offshore hiring, and a company that feels more focused on optics than employees.
