Airtable Reviews

I have to echo the sentiments of a previous review: management and the c-suite have created a culture of fear in which employees cannot speak up about almost any concerns. For example: I am aware of two separate instances in which different (white) managers told their employees (women of Color) that they would not receive promotions or pay raises in part because of their "appearance". They were asked to dress and present themselves in a more "professional" way, which was confusing because both women "presented" themselves in a way that was very much congruent with their peers. As a result, both women began presenting in a more "feminine" and "professional" way (e.g. wearing light makeup instead of going barefaced). This change satisfied their managers, and they were not approached again. Although HR and the CEO (and founder) were made aware of this issue, nothing was done on their behalf, and their managers were not reprimanded. I am also aware of instances in which multiple women were abruptly terminated after raising concerns about company policy or internal culture. In more than one instance, the employee was terminated during significant cross-team projects. As a result, their labor had to be picked up by their colleagues, who were not compensated for the increased workload and chastised when they spoke up about it. Seeing a colleague terminated for reasons that were (at best) unclear certainly helped contribute to a general atmosphere of fear and insecurity. I am also seriously concerned about D and I at the company. Many of the people of color at the company were hired in support roles, which paid significantly less than sales, design, or eng roles. After multiple engineers agitated for more diverse hires on their team, the CEO and founder stated in a company-wide meeting that non-white eng candidates often required more mentorship and training (?), and that we did not have the resources to sustain such a practice. His explanation was that the "top schools" just weren't producing enough non-white candidates (an excuse which diverts blame on the institutions), and that he was also unwilling to begin recruiting from CS programs that were more intentionally diverse. This was an answer that disappointed many of us. All in all: this is not a work environment I can recommend to anyone.

It was difficult for employees to speak up about their concerns. One employee was fired the week after they brought up an ethical concern about a large customer deal. Many of my colleagues felt like they could not speak out about concerns, and if they did, their concerns were ignored or given non-answers. I saw this happen dozens of times. Relatedly: Airtable hired a head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He did a great job while I was there and seems to continue to do a great job, but leadership seemed to think that these things are HIS job, instead of EVERYONE'S job. We paid lip service to this problem but our sourcing, practices, and demographics did not reflect a true commitment. Airtable did not feel like a great place for traditional career advancement. I saw a number of hard-working people passed up for promotions and know a few people who left for this reason, among others. Airtable's mission to democratize software creation is great, but leadership was doggedly focused on growth and not the mission. I was not the only employee who felt duped—excited to join a positive force, only to be disappointed by our true mission: to make money and increase shareholder value. Perhaps I naïvely assumed a for-profit business wouldn't respond to market incentives, but perhaps Airtable should not tout a righteous mission. I tried to raise some of these concerns, but they were not addressed to my satisfaction, which ultimately led me to another job. I hope that this negative review will help Airtable improve, because I believe that it has the potential to be a great product.