As a Software Engineer, Don't Expect Innovation - Senior Software Engineer Salesforce Employee Review

1.0
Dec 7, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Incredible employee benefits, including: - Amazing healthcare plans - VTO (Volunteer time off to work for non-profit organizations) - Tons of company sponsored events that are free to employees (popular movie tickets, grand openings, etc) - Great location (for Indianapolis) - More than competitive pay... highest paying in the area - Flexible working hours - Generous PTO policy (tons of positions have unlimited) - Exposure to tons of different clients/businesses in all kinds of different areas

Cons

If you're a Software Engineer looking to learn new technologies, create innovative technical solutions, or grow your career, I cannot stress to you enough to RUN AWAY from any opportunities at Salesforce Indy. The company culture would have you believe that Security/Trust trumps everything. Development machines are tightly locked down, and access to new technologies requires a multi-level approval process that can take months. While Security teams claim to "partner" with engineering teams, they impose security restrictions without any input from engineering and require layers of "evidence" as to why a restriction should be lifted (we're talking simple things like installing Docker). I was once told that "Powershell is banned, access to it is completely forbidden". Furthermore, the company claims to be Agile and is anything but. This is typical for large companies with internal software teams, but frankly I expected more from a company like Salesforce. User stores and bugs are tied back to epics that are "committed" to specific releases. They require stories that tie back outlining the project from start to finish, and individual stories are broken down further into "tasks" that really just lead to a tedious "check the box" workflow for most projects. If for some reason the project doesn't make it in the committed epic, prepare to be asked by multiple layers of management as to why it was dropped/delayed. If you're a developer looking for a 9-5 gig with the best benefits in town and an easy-going atmosphere, this might be for you. If you're a developer that wants to work with newer technologies and create truly innovative solutions to existing problems, look elsewhere. This job will not help you develop a better skillset, it will not help you work with newer tech, and it certainly won't allow you to come anywhere close to creating innovative solutions.

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Salesforce Response
8y
Thank you for the feedback. Trust is our number one value because without Trust and Security of our customers' data nothing else is possible. That said, Innovation is also core value for us. If you think of ways for the company or your team to improve on innovation, we'd welcome your ideas. Please don't hesitate to leave feedback for me or other leaders in the Feedback App, or in the twice-yearly employee engagement survey. Working together, we can all ensure Salesforce remains a great place to work for all.

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5.0
Jun 11, 2026
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Pros

Pay, flexibility, benefits, advancement, development

Cons

Must remain in role for 12 month + for promotion opportunities.

4.0
Jul 9, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I've spent over 8 years with Salesforce in various management and individual contributor roles, all customer or partner facing. Some of the pros: - vibrant, fast paced culture - smart, fun, aggressive colleagues - management is focused on latest tech trends and staying or becoming a leader for many of them - by and large, customers and partners are very positive about the technology - good benefits and perqs - hip urban culture at HQ - a chart-your-own-course mentality that rewards those who aggressively seek out the job they want and pursue it, or sometimes even create it

Cons

After my long tenure and many Dreamforce conferences, I'm nearly fried. To say the culture is fast paced and the focus is always changing is an understatement. The reason Salesforce always seems on top, and chasing the latest trend, and in the press, is because employees are expected to run harder, carry more, cheer loudly, and pivot constantly. It's the world's biggest startup in behavior. But at the same time, with the recent influx of top career sales leaders from Oracle and what appears to be a board-level mandate for doubling revenue, employees are being asked to do even more with even less, fill higher quotas with smaller territories, less help, and the big company bureaucracy is rearing it's ugly head. Worse still is the politics. When you hire a bunch of smart, aggressive people, and put them in an environment of outsized expectations, throw in a bunch of re-orgs and changing management, and sprinkle with uncertainty and constantly changing priorities, you inevitably get people back stabbing each other and throwing others under the bus to appear smarter and more worthy of promotion. The few at the top will get very, very rich. The rest will lose the sense of personal ownership and start to wonder why they've given up health and family

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Salesforce Response
1y
It's not often that you get the opportunity to respond to a review 10 years in but your comprehensive and thoughtful review has managed to hold on as one of our most popular even a decade in :) It’s exciting to see that the things we love most about the Salesforce of today — super smart colleagues, being at the forefront of tech trends and establishing ourselves as leaders in the space, great benefits and perks to name a few — haven’t changed in the past 10 years. We acknowledge the challenges you faced, such as the pace, shifting priorities, and internal politics. Your advice on maintaining our foundational vision while avoiding big-company bureaucracy is helpful as we continue to grow as the #1 AI CRM. Salesforce is committed to balancing growth with employee well-being and staying true to our core values. We appreciate your insights and dedication over the years. Thanks again for your feedback!
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