Now, about the company culture—it’s organized around tight-knit “tribes.” If you’re part of one, you’ll likely receive support, promotions, and raises. Mistakes by tribe members tend to be overlooked or quietly blamed elsewhere. New hires brought in as part of these tribes often receive high titles and salaries, sometimes with little direct client work, as many spend significant time traveling for leadership meetings or AWS events.
The largest and most influential tribe stems from a group that came from Onica, an AWS services firm acquired by Rackspace. They dominate most senior roles and aren’t shy about creating new positions to bring in their former colleagues. Another rising tribe is led by the CEO, who joined from a Canadian Salesforce consulting firm acquired by Salesforce. Since arriving, she’s brought in her own team from that firm, giving them elevated roles quickly. Smaller groups exist too, including the Sales leadership and the AI practice team.
Most of the leadership comes from these tribes, and they strongly back their own. If you’re an experienced hire outside these groups and find yourself at odds with a tribal member—disagreeing about client work, for example—you might quickly be sidelined, excluded from projects, or even pushed out.
There’s also a tendency towards very generous spending, especially on tribal members. At re:Invent 2024, for instance, the company sent 134 employees—covering plane tickets, hotel stays, and meals—all on Caylent’s dime. Account Executives hosted clients at expensive venues like Battlefield Vegas, where costs ran high. One expense report for a single meal came in at $4,000. Caylent defends this by pointing to AWS awards won at the event, but it’s clear the spending was hefty. Similar patterns show up with multiple ‘Leadership’ trips to their nearshore offices in Argentina and Brazil, often scheduled only a couple months apart, resulting in repetitive, expensive international travel for the leadership team (otherwise known as a boondoggle).z
Transparency is another issue. Though leadership claims openness, the reality is different. When high-level leaders leave abruptly, there’s little explanation, and these departures are quickly glossed over in company meetings. Failed client projects are handled behind closed doors with leadership, with no clear, company-wide discussion about what went wrong.
If you’ve been drawn in by Caylent’s slick videos or marketing, take a moment to consider these points before deciding to join. For experienced hires in the US or Canada, especially those outside the core tribes, be aware that the culture may be challenging. You risk being marginalized and terminated despite your experience and contributions, which is a pattern many have experienced here.
In the end, this company is deeply tribal, highly AWS-dependent, and has a leadership style focused on internal loyalty and growth over broader inclusion. If that sounds like your kind of place, great—but if you want a different experience, it’s worth weighing these realities carefully.
