SXSW Reviews

3.8

63% would recommend to a friend

(77 total reviews)
avatar

Hugh Forrest

100% approve of CEO

45% positive business outlook

SXSW has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 77 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The SXSW employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Arts, entertainment and recreation industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

77 reviews
1.0
24 Mar 2026

Toxic Environment

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really good festival that brings creatives together. Great for it to finally be in London!

Cons

Staff retention is very poor. The CEO and senior leadership team do not appear to value their employees and often speak about staff negatively behind their backs. High-performing staff are sometimes let go without warning, and communication with the team is inconsistent, creating an environment of low trust. Promises of promotions are often not fulfilled, and employees are frequently expected to work extra hours without compensation. There is little support for staff, and the company lacks a clear structure. Additionally, there appear to be underlying financial challenges, which have made it difficult to maintain relationships with reputable suppliers. Overall, the culture is unsupportive, and morale is consistently low.

3.0
22 Aug 2015

SXSW

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Laidback work environment, casual atmosphere, good location, offers great experience wearing multiple hats to recent grads. Opportunity to make nationally + internationally based high profile contacts.

Cons

Low pay, disorganized management, tenured employees are not open to innovative new ideas, lots of territorial disputes and infighting, all white male leadership with terrible pregnancy policy and not great insurance options.

1.0
12 Mar 2020

sinking ship

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

"cool job", nice office views

Cons

Majority of staff is severely underpaid, and given more work every year but not compensated for extra responsibilities. CEO / leadership openly does not care about employees. Most of management is incompetent and the work place culture is extremely toxic. No opportunities for growth but they'll work you to the bone while they have you. Recent layoffs with more to come.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 77 Reviews

Glassdoor has 149 SXSW reviews submitted anonymously by SXSW employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if SXSW is right for you.