Bleak Outlook - Lead Product Designer Rivian Employee Review

2.0
8 Oct 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

So far, the vehicles seem great. Nice offices. Subsidized lunches. Option to work from home. Engineers are great to work with and value design. Implementation moves fast.

Cons

The company tried to do too much too soon. They tried unsuccessfully to launch three vehicles in one year. Overpromised and underdelivered on the Amazon vans. They also planned to get into manufacturing accessories such as branded clothes and merchandise. There is a huge lack of diversity (women are hardly promoted, lack of black and brown people, and fake "wokeness" all-around). Marketing and brand teams are disproportionately white. People move up the ranks by agreeing with everything management says. More than 2/3 of the team was laid off within 15 minutes one morning without the director saying a thing to them. It was cold and calculated and treated the same people they once claimed were "highly regarded" like yesterday's garbage. Tremendous lack of transparency - The company is only "transparent" after information has been leaked to the media. Leadership loves to hear themselves talk. The company scaled up too aggressively and it cost many people to lose their jobs. Certain teams have 1.5 hours of design presentations twice a week where the same individuals love listening to themselves speak. The 401k match is a joke. Horrible WL balance. Constant restructuring at the executive level affects the teams down the hierarchy. - Reshuffling causes a loss of confidence in the executive leadership.

Explore other reviews about Rivian

5.0
1 July 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great learning opportunity, fun work, good people

Cons

Lots of travel if not based in Normal IL. Lot of change from management

2.0
17 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Great exposure to the product - Amazing teammates, boots on the ground collaboration - Onboarding is really well done - they take this part seriously and I appreciate that.

Cons

- Limited growth - Constantly worried whether your department is getting laid off. - I've worked at plenty of other startups and EV companies and this one is by far the worst. - Zero job security unless you're JR

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