Great employees but a deeply frustrating, fear-based culture - Anonymous employee Sequoia Employee Review

2.0
21 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Colleagues are incredibly smart, talented, and kind people. If you enjoy being around high achievers, you’ll be pushed to think creatively, stay curious, and perform at a high level. There are many strong tactical operators across the company who genuinely care about doing good work and supporting one another.

Cons

The company operates in a culture of fear from the top down. There is a clear understanding that if you do not comply or fall in line, your job may be at risk. Publicly, the CEO is charismatic and often positions himself at the center of attention, encouraging praise and recognition from others, but much of it feels performative rather than genuine. Leadership is highly centralized, with little tolerance for pushback or differing perspectives from seasoned functional leaders and subject matter experts. Many of the leaders directly below him appear unwilling to challenge decisions, either because they have become accustomed to the environment or because they have seen what happens to those who do push back. There is a noticeable pattern of experienced people leaving after questioning direction or leadership decisions. What makes this especially frustrating is that the company markets itself as a modern tech and consulting organization, but it often feels more like a golf-and-scotch relationship-driven insurance company from the early 2000s. Growth and business development still appear heavily reliant on personal networks and old-school relationships rather than modern systems, innovation, or scalable strategy. There is a disconnect between the external messaging and the operational reality.

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Sequoia Response
8h
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We take pride in hiring the best people.

Explore other reviews about Sequoia

5.0
15 Apr 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Caring, like minded people who make work not seem like work

Cons

Cant think of any at the moment

2
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Sequoia Response
8h
Thank you for sharing! We love to hear from our current team members.
2.0
4 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Read the reviews. This company is a shell of what it once was. This company used to be THE BEST place to work for. I was genuinely happy to share with others the positives of this company and how I’d recommend it to anyone. I will say most of the people I worked with were pleasant, and I’ve made some great relationships along the way.

Cons

This place has gone downhill fast. Expect long hours, especially during peak season, with little regard for sustainability. Leadership constantly changes direction, which creates confusion, wasted work, and frustration across teams. There’s no clear communication—employees are often left in the dark on major initiatives that directly impact their roles. Internal growth is extremely limited. Roles aren’t transparently shared, promotions are rare, and career progression feels more like luck than merit. Recent company decisions have made things worse. New offerings have been rolled out without a clear framework, and teams are expected to execute regardless of whether the product or process is actually ready. In some cases, products are pushed to clients even when they’re not a strong fit. Morale is low across the board. Turnover is handled poorly, with little transparency, which only adds to the uncertainty. It’s hard to ignore the feeling that employees are treated as expendable rather than valued. At this point, most people seem to be sticking around hoping things improve—but there’s little evidence to suggest that will happen anytime soon.

8
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Sequoia Response
8h
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We will be sure to share your feedback with our Leadership team.
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