HighWire reviews

3.3

54% would recommend to a friend

(78 total reviews)
avatar

Tim Bacci

25% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

HighWire has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 78 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The HighWire employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

78 reviews
1.0
Mar 10, 2016

Would give zero stars if possible

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The pros are all in the past. As a long time employee, this used to be an amazing place to work. After the split from Stanford and the sale to a private equity firm, it has gone downhill fast. It's all about turning a profit (HighWire used to be non profit and it's publishers are non-profit....) and outsourcing. If the end of quarter numbers are in the red - and they always are - expect several people to lose their jobs. This happens over and over. Moral is low and new management knows nothing of publishing. Large publishers are defecting to the competition.

Cons

Poor morale, long hours, unclear mission and goals, loss of company culture, loss of historical knowledge

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HighWire Response
9y
Thanks for your review. We are committed to providing a transparent, collaborative environment for all of our employees as we continue to grow the business and your feedback is greatly appreciated. Best of luck to you!
1.0
Dec 23, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The people are wonderful. The work for the most part is good for society. You will never have to worry about getting a bonus, you won't.

Cons

C-level folks have zero connection to the employees. You are expendable. Your job will be farmed out as soon as it makes sense on the balance sheet. There is zero passion to propel zero vision forward. Leadership is consumed with short term growth of the company with intent to sell. Anyone not able to capitalize on that goal are at risk.

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HighWire Response
9y
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It is disappointing that you were unable to share in the excitement of the company’s growth vision, delivered by the C level staff at each semi-monthly all hands discussion as well as team meetings etc. You are right, we some of the best people in the business and we believe that they are the reason for our continued success. However we also know that HighWire’s long term growth journey is not for everyone and that evolving as the business landscape changes as result of growth can be difficult. Your feedback here is valued and appreciated and I wish you the best in all of your future endeavors.
1.0
Apr 19, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Most of the people still in the office are smart, talented people. The headquarters in Redwood City is moving south, to make many employees' commutes shorter.

Cons

The company was essentially purchased by a private equity firm and now they're taking the intellectual property and moving it to Northern Ireland with much cheaper employees. This used to be a great place to work, but with the constant layoffs and steady stream of people leaving it should be easy to uproot the company offshore. There is no concept of upward mobility for employees in the main office. For the most part, the position you're hired into is the one you will maintain until you leave or are laid off.

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HighWire Response
9y
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Like you, I am excited about the talented people we have an opportunity to work with and our upcoming headquarters office move to Los Gatos, CA later this year does ease the commute for many of our employees, which was a priority in identifying a new location. Your feedback is valuable and we will continue to find ways that we can improve, however I would like to take this opportunity to address some of your specific concerns. As you know, we have recently opened a new office in Northern Ireland and as a result we have been able integrate cultures and develop an improved level of efficiency and availability to our customers with skilled employees available in successive time zones. There is no intention to move the company off shore. I would be happy to provide my assistance in discussing your career development goals and would welcome the opportunity to share the types of roles we have available at this time should you find that any are a fit for your future goals. Please feel free to contact me any time. I hope to hear from you.
Viewing 1 - 3 of 78 Reviews

Glassdoor has 80 HighWire reviews submitted anonymously by HighWire employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if HighWire is right for you.