Does Zymergen pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Zymergen employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Zymergen. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Zymergen?

41% of Zymergen employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Zymergen 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Zymergen?

Research Associate (29) , Scientist (19) , Research Associate II (13) , Scientist II (8) , Research Scientist (7) , Research Associate III (6) , Director (5) , Research Associate I (5) , Software Engineer (5) , Senior Software Engineer (4) , Business Associate (3) , Senior Research Associate (3) , Business Development (2) , Chemist (2) , Engineer (2)

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

"Great benefits for the exempt employee's in almost all groups" ((in 25 reviews)); "Free food (I have breakfast and lunch there)" ((in 15 reviews)); "One star for great coworkers, especially if you're young." ((in 12 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((in 6 reviews)); "Company culture was awesome for the most part." ((in 6 reviews))

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

"Bad managers ." ((in 14 reviews)); "No leadership at the President and VP level." ((in 14 reviews)); "Upper management is always busy putting out fires so no time to pursue employee growth, promotion or useful ideas." ((in 11 reviews)); "Multiple layoffs in a row, while giving the perception that if you survived the first one, you were safe." ((in 3 reviews)); "Long hours and thats about it" ((in 3 reviews))

What are employees saying about Zymergen layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Zymergen locations?

Emeryville , San Francisco , New York , Oakland , Boston , Cambridge

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Zymergen

Zymergen reviews

3.0

41% would recommend to a friend

(241 total reviews)

Joshua Hoffman

24% approve of CEO

16% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Compensation and benefits

3.6

Culture & values

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.1

Career opportunities

2.5

Senior management

Zymergen has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 241 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Zymergen 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

241 reviews

1.0

May 26, 2021

Toxic environment

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Scientists and RA's are hard working and have potential - once they find jobs at other companies...

Cons

One of the most toxic work environments I have ever been in - a complete "blame" culture that is looking to make excuses and throw lower level employees under the bus when impossible deadlines are not met. Business decisions are made with wishful thinking and not grounded in science and data. Timelines set for project deliverables are absolutely un-realistic. Leaders who stand up to upper management by speaking truth either quit in frustration or are quickly fired to hide upper management incompetence. Don't go here unless you want to leave a couple of years later completely burned out and disillusioned with your career.

1.0

Dec 18, 2020

Buckle up and enjoy the ride

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

First off - Zymergen deserves 3 stars but considering the implicit ask of employees to leave positive reviews, I leave one. Zymergen is unlike any other company, oscillating between feast and famine on a yearly cycle. You can learn a lot from the infrastructure and love of science that built such a robust company.

Cons

Unfortunately, I think Zymergen has a growing divide between business and science. This is most visible by the continual attrition of researchers, and the bright and shiny messages being released.

1.0

Jul 17, 2019

Flexible-hours means you work 24/7

Associate scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good salary, decent benefits, people try to be friendly

Cons

Expectation to work non-stop if you are in charge of a project. No support or help. No delegation. Managers don't understand you may have obligations that may not allow you to work outside of standard business hours. 6 day work weeks common.

Viewing 22 - 24 of 241 Reviews

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