Love/Hate - Anonymous employee Joby Aviation Employee Review

3.0
18 Aug 2020
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

This is a really cool project, there are many good people who work amazing hard to do possibly world changing things, there's so many smart people here, the Santa Cruz location is in a beautiful setting, and the CEO has more energy and drive than perhaps any other human alive.

Cons

There are some toxic personalities which hold lead/chief roles and this can heavily degrade morale and team cohesion on those teams. Advancement and leadership roles are not based on merit, experience, or understanding so much as on who is friends with who. This is causing some holes to form in the company cohesion, some gaps in understanding, lack of correct decision making, and real consequences to morale of many of the team members. Diversity is improving rapidly, but is still lacking. People who raise concerns about managers/leads can find themselves subsequently undermined and treated exceptionally disrespectfully.

Explore other reviews about Joby Aviation

5.0
17 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazingly talented team. Good leadership led by a true engineer CEO. Base salaries are not the highest in this space, but equity packages and associated liquidity make up for it. Decent benefits overall. Free meals are delicious and healthy.

Cons

Some growing pains evident as they transform from a small startup building prototypes to a large aerospace company building certified products at scale. Some dysfunction in the organization; some teams are not well-managed and/or understaffed. Occasional tension between cadres from different backgrounds, e.g. silicon valley, electric vehicles, and legacy aerospace. Leadership priorities sometimes shift unexpectedly, leading to churn and overly-aggressive schedules. Work-life balance can be a challenge at times.

1
5.0
3 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun place to be as an engineer. The company philosophy is to be highly vertically integrated across the full stack of technologies necessary to build and operate electric aircraft. This results in an environment where you are surrounded by the tools and technical expertise to build pretty much anything. The company mission is motivating. There is a steady stream of highly interesting projects to work on. The company culture is very open and friendly. 3 free meals per day, with most people eating together at communal tables.

Cons

Management frequently sets highly unrealistic schedules and goals, to the point that no front-line worker has any faith in the timelines. No one is motivated to reach and achieve a deadline that is impossible with the resources given. Space is at a premium in San Carlos. Everyone is crammed into the building like sardines. Few windows.

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