Bumpy Road with a Rough Outlook - Senior Software Engineer Zoox Employee Review

1.0
17 Feb 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Challenging work and there were definitely some brilliant folks there - Fast paced environment and many days were enjoyable

Cons

This place was never known for being a positive work environment, and it has sadly taken a turn for the worse in the last year. Leading up to Tim's firing, Tim had become a complete egomaniac and this culture of selfishness was becoming rampant. Many chill people left and many remaining have been in a full-on land-grab for more prestigious titles and positions. The toxicity became too much. I tried fighting it off, but it was a losing battle. I'm worried that the current direction could lead to more reckless decisions and a degraded engineering culture. The technical challenges ahead are *massive* and will require billions with big teams of drivers. But the code quality is only getting worse, technical debt more crippling, and morale is sinking.

Explore other reviews about Zoox

5.0
15 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really good job and good pay

Cons

No cons at all really good job

1.0
31 Mar 2026
Anonymous contractor
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The tech is cool and there are passionate workers making it happen

Cons

Negligent management, basically asking for burn out which seems to be on par with their parent company's model. Safety? Yeah, sure I guess. Dangling, exposed wires, unsanitary bathroom conditions, and being told "you don't have to be here" when bringing up genuine concerns. We're all adults here yet they seem motivated to treat you like children in a boarding school. I know 10+ individuals with years experience in the AV space who left less than a year into being onboarded. What a waste of resources. I was flown out for training, didn't get my flight ticket until a literal hour before departure after blowing up HR and local leadership (none of which responded or checked in after the fact). Borderline illegal, heck who am I kidding, straight up illegal OSHA violations at the depots. Scheduled less than 6 hours between shifts (hello??? Do we want an incident). Also, being a contractor is a joke. You never know where you stand, managers report you to the contractor before ever telling you anything. Straight nerve racking conditions. If it means anything, I have turned down two recruiters offering twice my current salary (ouch) because it meant I'd have to work for Zoox and their horrible management again.

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