Very uneven experience - Senior Engineering Manager Databricks Employee Review

3.0
1 Nov 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The product is great, and the quality of engineering is on par with places like Google. Moves really fast, obsessed with SWE productivity. Can make a big splash here. The concentration of smart, experienced people here is higher than FAANGs I’ve worked at.

Cons

The culture has taken a bad turn or two. There’s a lot of XFN infighting and backstabbing. Leadership outs people for confidentially reporting something. Lots of things get stonewalled instead of saying yes or no. It’s odd that with so many great people the culture can be this toxic, but it’s seriously the worst I’ve seen (and I’ve been in this industry for 25 years). As a SWE up to L6 you can probably avoid most of this, but the higher levels are like a kindergarten. Also, the company ignores WLB, perks, training, team building and basically all other factors that drive retention. The only things that are supposed to motivate you are (1) interesting work and (2) compensation, which is competitive. But there’s no investment in cohesion, growing people over time or improving the culture.

Explore other reviews about Databricks

5.0
11 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

* high growth * faced paced * brilliant co-workers

Cons

* long hours, but you learn a lot

2.0
30 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great teams made up of smart, motivated people. Databricks is an exciting place to work because it is part of the growing data and AI tools space. The benefits and income are also good overall.

Cons

Databricks no longer feels like a startup. There are now multiple layers of bureaucracy, and leadership can feel territorial rather than collaborative. Over time, it can seem like business growth and internal politics have become stronger drivers than innovation or employee experience. For long-tenured employees, it may become harder to stay excited or feel challenged. Other companies may offer a more energizing environment.

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