Culture shifted drastically to appease shareholders - Product Manager Xero Employee Review

2.0
10 Sept 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Still some good people left, below Sr. Management Some teams are fully remote Nice offices if you do have to go in

Cons

Culture sucks now. Everything is top-down: i.e. Some executive wants to implement something, regardless of your roadmap, you just have to do it. You can push back to your boss, but they need to appease their boss. Annual performance review system is a joke, same system that was famously implemented by Microsoft, GE, and others. The system requires there to always be a bottom 10% of performers, so everyone is incentivized to compete with each other. So much process and bureaucracy. Senior leadership used to be based in New Zealand, where people appreciate work/life balance. Now it's all workaholics based in the Bay area, who seem proud to never see their family.

Explore other reviews about Xero

5.0
24 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great culture and solid benefits

Cons

Could be a bit chaotic at times

1
1.0
30 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Xero has a great product and a lot of very passionate employees who work very hard for their customers.

Cons

The executive leadership at Xero is creating a toxic, backstabbing culture that promotes yes-men at the expense of honest dialogue. It's impossible to make decisions at the company, and multiple rounds of layoffs are leaving all employees shell shocked and fearful. Marketing teams are under-resourced while more demands are constantly being placed on teams to do more. When constraints are communicated, employees are blamed for them, rather that listened to. Multiple colleagues have said the same thing. Additionally, management has instituted a 'rank and yank' policy where everyone is graded on a forced curve, where the bottom quarter are immediately put on a PIP.

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