like being at home - Software Engineer Gusto Employee Review

5.0
17 Dec 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- everyone is genuinely nice, friendly, intelligent, and hardworking - very flexible work hours and unlimited vacation - very flat organizational structure (we don't use the word "manager", and my team lead feels much more like a peer than a boss) - frequent team outings (bars, woodworking) - great compensation - transparent CEO and organizational structure - amazing food in the office (best of 3 startups I've worked at), including catered lunches and dinners - flexible in terms of how you work (software used, frequency of meetings etc)

Cons

- longer hours than average (maybe 45/week for me in particular) - parts of the office space are getting a little cramped after so much growth

Explore other reviews about Gusto

5.0
10 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Smart and friendly coworkers. Excellent team culture

Cons

Tunnel visions on AI a bit too much

2.0
20 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The product is genuinely good, too bad the same can’t be said for how they treat the people who sell it.

Cons

Leadership talks a big game about people-first culture but the reality doesn’t match. The Chicago office expansion felt like a poorly thought-out experiment, new hires were brought on without a clear long-term commitment, and layoffs came without warning, leaving people blindsided. Crossing a billion dollars in revenue and still cutting employees sends a clear message about where workers rank on the priority list. Remote work flexibility is also a glaring weakness. For a company selling HR software to modern businesses, their internal stance on where employees can work is surprisingly rigid and hypocritical. The “flexibility” messaging is mostly optics. The broader concern is the AI roadmap. The automation push feels less like an innovation strategy and more like a slow wind-down of the workforce. Employees aren’t blind to it, it creates anxiety and erodes trust. The culture of transparency they promote externally is largely a facade internally.

10
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