Good pay, Good teammates, BAD culture - Software Engineer (Swe II) TikTok Employee Review

3.0
18 Jul 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- good pay - free food - great teammates - funny environment - good flexibility of PTO and leave

Cons

- bad culture - PM driven - engineers have no power - brain gets burnt out even if you don't have much work - no one wants to work hard - no code review or effort to improve engineering

Explore other reviews about TikTok

5.0
11 May 2026
Anonymous intern
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good experience. Everyone is nice.

Cons

Pretty good actually. During internship did nor find any negative issues.

1.0
21 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are some truly fantastic and talented people in the company who make daily collaboration a great experience. Additionally, the insurance and overall health benefits package is quite strong and comprehensive.

Cons

The work culture is heavily driven by top-down directives from HQ, leaving little room for open discussion, transparency, or questioning management decisions. The bi-yearly rating cycle feels highly punitive and is frequently used to target individuals rather than foster growth, leading to an environment where anyone can be abruptly let go. Work-life balance is virtually non-existent due to tedious, high-volume workloads and constant alignment with overseas timelines. Furthermore, leadership instability is a constant concern; local management changes rapidly, frequently replaced by leaders from the parent company, creating an unpredictable and highly volatile work environment.

1
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