Pinterest Reviews

Pros

- CEO is a genuinely good guy that seems to have good intentions for Pinterest overall - Free food - Nominally good values that are once in a while backed up by actual action (KnitCon)

Cons

I'm sure from the outside Pinterest seems like a fun, collaborative, creative place to work, and its company size gives off the impression that it's going to have a startupy feel. After 1.5 years there I can unequivocally say that while this is the story that is advertised internally as well, in day to day life, the direct opposite is true. This was by far the most toxic work environment I have ever been a part of. A culture of passive-aggressiveness and at times complete disrespect for colleagues that are deemed "inferior" is rampant. Teams that should be working together are actively pitted against one another by management. Bullying by superiors is not only common but is basically expected as a norm. Promotions are almost never based on merit, but generally instead on whatever optics need to be pushed that month. Feedback is constantly ignored or met with empty promises that no one is ever held accountable for (or, at worst, with "if you're unhappy you can leave" or even actual firings/removals from teams if a manager finds you "difficult"). It's not a huge majority of people that are the worst offenders of this behavior, but the major issue is that the larger company seems to be content to allow them to act this way, which in turn enables lesser offenders to become worse when they see that there are no consequences. At this point, it seems like the company is propped up by revolving door of competent and ambitious people producing some good work that others end up taking credit for until they either become fed up with the toxic culture or are pushed out once they can no longer be used.

Pros

- Regional offices seem to have a better culture than HQ - Free lunch/dinner - Onsite workout, crafting classes (studio nights, knit con)

Cons

- Uncaring and unmotivating middle/upper management - Most employees are seen as expendable for the bottom line. The underlying culture is "get in line or get out" if you don't like how the business is run. If you are a seller, you are given higher and higher sales targets that become increasingly more stressful and unattainable. If you're on a sales XFN team, you are blamed for all missed revenue opportunities, and you can expect the director of your org to scream at your team about how your team is a disappointment. - Ineffective HR - All concerns have fallen on deaf ears, whether raised through Pulse, group meetings, 1:1 meetings with HR/People experience. I now fully understand the fact that HR's mandate is to protect the company, and not the employees. HR's solution will be to tell you to find another job if you're truly that unhappy. - (Org dependent) Stagnation in career growth. I've seen that promotions have rarely been based on merit, but rather department optics or if someone has been severely mis-leveled coming into this company. Inter-company career transitions are also highly discouraged. As a result, there is high attrition of top talent as they feel they aren't valued for their work, stuck in the same role for years, and have to look outside the company to find the next step in their career. - Toxic work environment. Management say they care about culture in all hands meetings and department wide emails, but in reality, the culture they breed is one that is founded in fear. The value "care with candor" has become a way for management to CANDIDLY tell you everything that you do "wrong" based on benchmarks that change weekly or even daily, and if you CARE about retaining your job, you should work harder and longer hours against an ever moving target to make sure that our org leaders look good in front of Ben.

Pros

Working at Pinterest you're surrounded by really talented people. Everyone is driven and aligned with the company mission. It's the first place I've worked where people feel really good about where the company is headed. Consumers have a unique mindset when they come to Pinterest and the company has done a great job embracing that and providing additional tools for consumers.

Cons

Things can move a bit slowly as it relates to internal navigation. Some times there are too many cooks in the kitchen on certain projects. Internal vs external hiring and promotions/team changes. There isnt a standard practice for this and certain situations that you think are the same are handled completely differently. Need more process in place where there's less gray area

Pros

The food is good and the architecture/design of the office is cool

Cons

Toxic work environment. The staff isn't the most friendly unless you are in the inner circle. It has a "mean girls" or "highschool" vibe. Just like most major companies, they pretend to be fun and carefree. However, at the end of the day, they are extremely money hungry and quota focused.