What is the company culture like at DuckDuckGo?

fully remote, flexible work hours, minimalist meeting culture, great work life balance

prescribed ways of working, no bonuses and relatively low compensation for tech, advancement is a struggle

- everyone on my team and adjacent teams are very smart, the bar for hiring is very high and it shows - choose your own hours, get the work done, no requirement for being always online, and “unlimited” (use good judgement) PTO. - mission driven company with high agency: you are the directly responsible individual for your projects. little to no hand-holding, which I love. - decent comp, but don’t expect huge numbers. the wellness benefits etc are fun too. - frequent off-site meet ups all paid for

- still pretends to be a bit like a small start-up: it’s not a flat structure, there is a clear hierarchy and the only career progression is up that hierarchy. don’t expect to get a promotion as a technical engineer above the “principal” level without going into project or team management. - stock options aren’t really a valuable comp benefit when you have to drop 20k to buy them first. - no culture of younger hires, which is fine but also lacks diversity and affects promotions: everyone is basically at the same level (senior with 10+ years of experience)

- Positive work culture, with a lot of smart people who are very helpful - Very transparent way of working - you have visibility across the org - True purpose and long-term perspectives, instead of short-termism - Intellectually ferocious workplace - Designed for async remote work first, with the right ammount of sync - It is a company for adults - you are expected to help define and lead the work you do, and to deliver results, instead of just receiving orders

- It has a unique way of working, which takes a while to get used to, depending on your experience - Some async decision-making processes could be stronger

Unique approach to remote work

Growing fast and that can lead to quick changes in culture

Great culture and team members. Fully remote and supportive company with flexibility and work life balance. Given the trust and ability to work independently and contribute to projects.

None, i’ve been here 3+ years and have no complaints.

Great culture across the team members. Smart people, fun to work with, balanced and supportive. Remote working environment is really flexible, and issues you work on are very interesting.

Company has grown, and in material ways it does not work as described in "How we work at DuckDuckGo." There is a hierarchy in decision making, there are people who function as managers, and many decisions are made by a few people, often without the participation of people who are responsible for the work. There are systemic issues with compensation and how promotions (which is the only avenue for career growth/professional level increases) are made, so for most people, where they enter is where they will be forever, or for a very, very long time. Expertise and experience outside of product work is not deemed of much value. Leadership refuses to acknowledge change is needed in several areas due to belief that doing things differently would "destroy the culture." The result is certain topics are off limits for questioning assumptions, even when problems are evident, and overall there is very rigid thinking which leads to very little or very slow change for a company that needs to be innovative.

Great culture across the team members. Smart people, fun to work with, balanced and supportive. Remote working environment is really flexible, and issues you work on are very interesting.

Company has grown, and in material ways it does not work as described in "How we work at DuckDuckGo." There is a hierarchy in decision making, there are people who function as managers, and many decisions are made by a few people, often without the participation of people who are responsible for the work. There are systemic issues with compensation and how promotions (which is the only avenue for career growth/professional level increases) are made, so for most people, where they enter is where they will be forever, or for a very, very long time. Expertise and experience outside of product work is not deemed of much value. Leadership refuses to acknowledge change is needed in several areas due to belief that doing things differently would "destroy the culture." The result is certain topics are off limits for questioning assumptions, even when problems are evident, and overall there is very rigid thinking which leads to very little or very slow change for a company that needs to be innovative.

It is by far the most outcomes drive company I have ever been at. The way DDG works is incredibly unique and truly allows you to make a huge impact on its mission. The culture is very supportive with smart people. If you love projects, making impact and doing work vs just endless talking about doing work, this is the place for you. I have tons of flexibility of how I want to work and very trusted. It’s a dream come true especially for people with dependents. You are trusted to structure your own time. Our meetups are also the best and I always enjoy seeing everyone and I can’t say anything good things about DDG.

If you’re really junior in your role, it can be hard to navigate. DDG ways of work is so unique. Not everyone will enjoy it.