Madwell Reviews

3.3

46% would recommend to a friend

(45 total reviews)

Christopher Sojka

24% approve of CEO

35% positive business outlook

Madwell has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 45 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Madwell employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

45 reviews
2.0
5 July 2024

Once a great place, now a total mess

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Truly some of the coolest and most talented people in the business at the lower and mid levels.

Cons

It’s a shame because this really was once a great place to work. But in the last year the cofounders have had a huge falling out, are suing each other (this is public record you can look it up) and the company and its employees have suffered immensely as a result. The founder whos still there is in a downward spiral- is late or never shows up for meetings (even ones he calls), imposed “martial law” and subjected the entire company to a completely unhinged, 2-hour rant about the lawsuit and his personal life. He changes deliverables on a dime, throws out decks hours before they’re set to present to clients, and insists his half-baked ideas are the only way forward while yelling that no one else is working hard enough. He regularly flys off the handle at people, then calls them in the middle of the night trying to apologize. One employee said she is afraid to come to work because of how much he reminds her of her abusive ex. Almost no one has been hired in months. If there are open roles at this agency it’s only because senior and mid-level people are quitting left and right rather than deal with his erratic behavior and abuse anymore and the remaining skeleton crew is drowning. Everyone is exhausted and paranoid about their jobs. People have been fired without their managers knowing anything about it. Raises and promotions are at a standstill, even ones that have been promised for a long time. Do yourself a favor and stay as far away from Madwell and Chris Sojka as you possibly can.

3.0
19 July 2024

Losing it's magic

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people — over the years, the company has attracted some of the most talented employees and genuinely good individuals. Many of them possess far more talent than their titles or the current leadership acknowledges.

Cons

This place has become a mere shadow of its former self. Initially a hub for dynamic, innovative minds to challenge norms and create new things, it has now regressed into a place where only the founder's ideas matter. Employees lack a voice and are consistently dismissed, being told their ideas are worthless. The company's focus has shifted from producing high-quality work with solid strategic foundations and creative insights to merely executing the founder's sporadic whims. Career growth beyond mid-level is non-existent in this organization. While department leads strive admirably, they are largely powerless and marginalized in decision-making. While you may accomplish remarkable feats, it often comes at the cost of enduring aggressive verbal outbursts from the founder, being ostracized, and facing baseless rumors. To thrive, one must soothe the founder and align with his erratic behavior.

1.0
22 Sept 2020

Great people. Abysmal leadership.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people doing the actual work here are some of the smartest, talented, most creative people I’ve ever worked with.

Cons

Fraudulent leadership who say one thing and do another. Not necessarily from the top, either—the horrific leadership sometimes trickles down to a departmental level. Love how they preach about how they want to increase diversity and made a whole Juneteenth meeting about it, but yet unjustifiably let go of talented POC and replace them with white men.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 45 Reviews

Glassdoor has 48 Madwell reviews submitted anonymously by Madwell employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Madwell is right for you.