Exploits US markets while off-shoring technical talent - Software Engineer Smartsheet Employee Review

1.0
26 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Remote work (although the CEO threatens to take this away if we don't "do well"... whatever that means -- not really tied to any indicator or metric)

Cons

- "Global strategy" is to exploit wealthy markets and lower waged workforces: - Lately has been only hiring in the US for sales (probably to exploit the wealthy US customer base) - Lately has been only hiring in India for engineering (probably to exploit their lower waged technical workforce) - Some teams now responsible for what 5+ teams were responsible for... no work life balance anymore. - Layoffs have overburdened teams with work, slowing GTM velocity. - C level doesn't care about what you're doing unless it's somehow tied to AI. - Enterprise AI pivot is marketing hype gone wrong: "get rich quick with 1 simple trick". TBD if it's actually profitable outside of venture capitol fundraising.

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Smartsheet Response
2mo
Thank you for your feedback. Our global expansion is a strategic step in our company growth, designed to drive further success in areas of the globe with strong markets for our product. We also would like to clarify that we are hiring for a variety of roles in the US, with sales roles being a part of that. We appreciate your advice as we grow and expand.

Explore other reviews about Smartsheet

5.0
11 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great collaborative environment and competitive

Cons

Easily overwhelmed with phone calls, chats, and emails.

1.0
26 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Supportive of AI tooling. I had a great manager. I heard the severance packages are great, but I left of my own volition, so I don’t have personal experience.

Cons

Complete lack of direction or management at the mid to high levels of the company in product and engineering (most everyone left or was pushed out by cronyism from the private equity acquisition). No more equity offered to employees. No opportunities for promotion. They’ve shipped or are shipping most of the core products (including the core “sheet” aka Grid app) to India and have laid off tons of employees (somewhere between 12% and 15% of the company). Upper management did the thing where they had the US developers interview tons of people out of India, and then about half a year later laid off tons US developers, including several of the people that did the interviews. Upper management said that the India teams would be working on other projects, but clearly that was a lie. They laid off people without consulting their managers, or their manager’s managers, and without knowing what team they actually worked on or what they did. So entire teams were laid off unbeknownst to them. Very quick and poor handoffs to India, if any. You will likely be working on multiple teams at once, or moved to multiple teams during your time there in short periods of time. On-call can be a nightmare. There is no culture of any kind. Basically do not work here, whether you’re out of the US, India, or Bulgaria (the main countries for developers).

1
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Smartsheet Response
1w
Thank you for your honesty. While we’re glad that you had a great team and the tools you needed, it’s incredibly tough to hear that other aspects of your experience were less than great. To your point about equity, we’d like to clarify that we do offer a limited equity pool with specific eligibility. That said, navigating transition is already tough, and adding in other aspects like global shifts and new leadership can make it feel even harder. We know the dust hasn’t completely settled, and we understand that we have a lot of work to do to repair employee trust and morale. We’ve set off on that journey, and we appreciate all of this feedback along the way. Thank you, and we wish you all the best in your next chapter.
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