I’m rewriting this section because Glassdoor took down my previous review after it was flagged by my friends in HR. I might need to tone down some of the expletives aimed at the executives, even though they routinely verbally abuse people in the company—just check out the detailed The Information article from March 2023 for an unfiltered account.
As you may have guessed, this place has been the most toxic hellhole of my (fairly tenured) career. The positive reviews here might not reflect that reality, but more on that later. The leadership at Navan is aggressive, self-absorbed, and frankly incompetent. There’s zero long-term direction; urgency is prioritized over basic planning. As a result, countless nights and weekends are wasted on projects that should have been set up properly from the start.
The main CEO and his helper CEOs (yes, Navan has several CEOs) along with EVPs (there are more "executives" than at Meta and Apple combined—hint 1) consistently come up with the worst ideas in the name of driving customer impact - without ever properly looking at customer needs. When these ideas fail, they conveniently shift the blame to their teams for “poor implementation.” It’s frustrating and demoralizing; I felt gaslit so often. Many of these executives seem unable to do basic math or interpret statistical outcomes, lack people skills, and are convinced they know how to run a company while they really don’t. They often project their own incompetence onto their employees, creating the worst possible environment for anyone’s mental health. Many act like 20-year-old insecure frat boys.
If you’re considering a job here, just don’t. Seriously. Believe the negative reviews; there’s a strong internal push to post only positive feedback to distract you from the reality of the situation. HR is instructed to identify anyone who writes negative reviews, which is why most of the negative reviewers are former employees. They actively encourage newbies or “over-performers”—those who fly close to the sun or the CEO's favorites who operate like him—to post positive reviews. Did you notice how short and unimpressed those reviews look?
Even if you need visa sponsorship, working here isn’t worth it. You’ll be locked into an awful workplace for at least a year (great for involuntary retention). You may think a year goes by quickly, but it feels like an eternity in this environment. Trust your gut—you’ll notice plenty of lies and red flags during the interview process (hints 2, 3, and 4).
This place can seriously mess with your mental health. I’m not exaggerating when I say it can leave you with PTSD. You may think you’ve seen it all, but this company culture is the absolute WORST. There are numerous stories of people up to the VP level enduring and reporting bullying or harassment, only to be fired immediately—no accountability, no care.
Sure, you may think I'm a wuss for not being able to deal with a bit of good old tech bro toxicity. Maybe I'm exaggerating? Can’t be that bad with all these positive reviews here, right? If you don't care for a sane culture, your decision to join the company may hinge on financial incentives. You might be betting on the announced IPO. Well... Don’t. Why? It’s been postponed too many times for a reason (even when Covid and the volatile IPO environment weren't factors anymore). The main CEO still can't make this game profitable. Not because the game is unprofitable per se - he is just really bad at playing it. For example, they fire people every month (usually those that speak up against their terrible project ideas) with pre-determined lists of who will go next but then host “best performer” events (aka the main CEO’s favorites, hint 5) with excessive booze in luxury hotels. Is that a financially sound decision? Does running a company on fear and favoritism result in the best ideas? Should you really need to be told not to hire your school friends who lack experience? Navan operates on hot air and its service is pretty mediocre. No customer really raves about it. The competition is already better. Save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere. Even if the IPO does happen, you’ll be too late to see any real benefit.
You have been warned on all fronts ;).
To Glassdoor - If you take this review down again, I have serious concerns about how neutral your service really is. I have seen your TandCs.
To the Navan Execs that this review describes: You are always at choice to become better than this.
And Hey, Navan HR: "Truth is the mother of all things." You know it.
