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Gates Foundation

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Golden Handcuffs-- Hard to leave but not great to stay - Anonymous employee Gates Foundation Employee Review

3.0
17 Dec 2012
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

When you land on a good team with good people, you are surrounded with the smartest, brightest, funniest people. Benefits are out of this world.

Cons

From the perspective of someone on the lower end of the food chain, I am floored how bad the attitude towards admins and PCs are here. Many people in those positions have masters degrees and remarkable backgrounds in the biggest names in the world. And once you arrive at BMGF the attitude is shut up, print this, schedule that. I once pushed back, and was told point blank that 700 people applied for my job, so if I would like to be somewhere else that wouldn't be a problem for them. It always seems like the minute I decide I am done they send me to Africa, loop me in on a big project, or I meet someone amazing. Golden handcuffs, I swear. I wouldn't say that I regret my time here...but unless you want to be an admin for a while and settle in to the role, I would not advise someone taking a lower level job here in the hopes of an amazing opportunity, which is what I did.

Explore other reviews about Gates Foundation

5.0
24 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Everyone is aligned to the mission. Fantastic benefits.

Cons

These could be pros for some but travel and ambiguity are things to deal with

3.0
8 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Mission-based work Diverse, passionate employee base Healthcare benefit Parental leave and support Unlimited PTO

Cons

Poor work-life balance Perfectionist culture Unreasonable expectations with working hours High levels of burnout Retaliation for setting boundaries with working hours Culture resistant to prioritization of work

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