Great potential, poor execution - Anonymous employee Niantic Employee Review

2.0
22 Mar 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Great experienced people. You'll work with the smartest folks around. - Explosive company growth - Great (new!) office in SF

Cons

- No work/life balance. none. - We have a Google culture, we don't have a player-first culture. We're a gaming company where no one plays our games. - We have some of the smartest engineers, we're limited on eng resources, but yet we fail to properly execute on nearly all major features. It's a shame to see great talent go to waste. - Transparency is surprisingly large problem for such a small and young company. This is beyond just the issue with cross-functional communication. Any basic information on how the company is doing is off limits. This has turned the OKR meetings into backbending obscuring exercise; we literally have slides at these meetings that say something like "10% over our goal of X." I never thought I would say Google was more transparent. - Top-down management.

Explore other reviews about Niantic

5.0
20 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people, the amazing office, the work life balance, the benefits, 401k match

Cons

Niantic had few flaws and none that come to mind currently

3.0
12 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Niantic has a unique mission and works on products that blend technology, gaming, community, and real-world exploration. The people are generally smart, passionate, and collaborative, and there are opportunities to work on creative projects with global impact. The company also offers a good learning environment for those interested in gaming, AR, live operations, and location-based products.

Cons

Priorities can shift frequently, which sometimes makes it difficult for teams to stay focused or understand how their work connects to the broader company strategy. Communication from leadership could be clearer, especially during periods of change. Some processes feel reactive rather than proactive, and cross-functional alignment can vary depending on the team.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All