Unprofessional Management and Low Employee Morale - Software Developer MangoApps Employee Review

1.0
May 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

At this stage, I personally did not find any significant positives that outweigh the management, culture, and employee treatment issues experienced over the years.

Cons

After spending more than 8 years in this organization as a Software Developer, I can confidently say that the company culture has become increasingly political, biased, and mentally exhausting over time. The biggest concern is job security. Employees constantly work under fear due to sudden layoffs and unpredictable management decisions. Long-term contribution and loyalty do not seem to matter, as employees can easily be replaced regardless of performance or dedication. The overall work environment is heavily influenced by favoritism rather than merit. Employees who are close to senior management receive flexibility, visibility, and growth opportunities, while others are expected to work under constant pressure with little recognition. Salary growth is below market standards, and appraisals are frequently delayed. Even high-performing employees struggle to receive fair compensation. The appraisal process lacks transparency and often feels designed to justify minimal salary hikes rather than reward genuine contributions. Leave approvals are unnecessarily difficult. Even for valid personal reasons, employees face excessive questioning and approval delays. Work-life balance is poor, and selective employees are exempt from responsibilities while others are expected to remain available during production issues and off-hours. Another frustrating aspect is the unhealthy communication culture. Employees often feel uncomfortable openly interacting with colleagues or maintaining friendships at work because of internal politics and management interference. The engineering culture is also deteriorating. Development timelines are unrealistic, planning is weak, and features are rushed without proper QA or technical design consideration. Management focuses more on feature quantity and presentation rather than product quality, scalability, or long-term technical stability. CEO: The CEO has strong business vision and ambitious goals, but priorities and directions change too frequently. Decision-making often feels inconsistent, creating confusion across teams and making long-term planning difficult for employees. CTO: The CTO lacks strong technical leadership and innovation focus. Instead of driving engineering excellence, architecture improvements, or technical strategy, the role feels heavily centered around task assignment and operational tracking. There is also a noticeable ego-driven management style that impacts collaboration and team morale. VPs / Directors: VP and Director level management show visible favoritism and biased behavior. Opportunities, flexibility, recognition, and support are often limited to selected employees, while others are constantly pressured and monitored. Employees who are not part of the preferred circle frequently feel sidelined, undervalued, and placed in a “red zone” regardless of their actual performance or contribution.

Explore other reviews about MangoApps

5.0
Dec 10, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I started working here at the end of the summer. Fast-paced place to work with a lot of tech stacks and technologies to learn. This makes the learning curve high, but the reward also high. I enjoy commuting into the office twice a week, and they are very flexible with arrival times (I'm able to avoid traffic by taking my early morning meetings at home, then drive into the office sometime before 11am). Overall benefits are great, zero cost from my end for healthcare (they cover 100% of my premium), and they contribute 3% to my 401k regardless if I contribute any amount.

Cons

The posted job salaries are slightly below market from my experience, but as long as you are confident in your skills and what you bring to the table, you can negotiate your salary during the interview process.

1
1.0
Oct 9, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The colleagues you'll get to work with - most of them are wonderful humans. While there have been some questionable hires in the last year, generally speaking, most of the employees are capable, intelligent, experienced, and kind. The product itself is also brilliant. Everyone needs MangoApps. The success of the company is proof of the product being awesome because it sells itself in spite of poor business ops.

Cons

Be cautious of the positive reviews here. The owners of the company and HR literally asked us to write good reviews last year because they were having difficulty hiring. The statements and expectations set by leadership in the interview process are misleading and many have not come to fruition. For example, they have been talking bonuses for over two years and continue to move the goal post and have yet to pay any bonuses out. This is after already paying below market rate for most roles with subpar benefits. You will be told that ownership (CEO/COO) value feedback, are good at giving feedback (positive and constructive), there are bonuses, and the culture is supportive - these are inaccurate. The feedback is minimal (they say they follow a "no news is good news" standard) and when you do get feedback it is usually punitive in nature vs. constructive and helpful. Positive feedback is non-existent. The CEO and COO (a husband and wife team) micromanage every single aspect of every single department in the US team. They do not trust those they hire in either “management” or employee roles. The “leadership” style is one of leading by fear vs. support. Managers are merely puppets of the CEO/COO. The CEO has publicly criticized people, in writing in our comms platform, deleted responses to his feedback, and then continued criticism in private threads. The COO does not criticize in writing publicly, but will call you down in chat or in person if they’re displeased with you as a person. Negative feedback is commonly opinion/personality-based (vs. action/behavior/job duty feedback). There is no solid documentation of processes, responsibilities, or definition of roles - because they change on a weekly basis at the whims of leadership. The air of fear [of displeasing the CEO/COO] is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Your work is judged primarily by visibility and its alignment with leadership's personal preferences.

15
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MangoApps Response
1y
Hi, We would like to address some of the points you’ve raised: -Like many companies, we encourage our employees to share their experiences on Glassdoor to help showcase our culture and brand. However, no one is forced to leave positive reviews. It’s completely voluntary. -As for facing hiring challenges, at MangoApps, we face hiring challenges like others in the business hiring for niche skills and hands-on experience. The bar at MangoApps is indeed high, and we’re committed to finding the right fit for our team. -We’ve been giving bonuses for many years, and they are awarded to deserving employees who have made a significant impact through their work. Recognition at MangoApps is based on merit and is never a reflection of tenure or favouritism. -Over the last decade, our small, focused team has built and refined our product under the strong vision and leadership of our CEO and Founder. The product is a result of our combined efforts and wouldn’t be what it is today without the direction and the vision. To succeed at MangoApps, you need to be at the top of your game, always learning and growing. Our teams lift each other up, and we believe in fostering a culture of mutual support and growth rather than tearing anyone down. We wish you all the best in your next venture.
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