Poor quality hardware military contractor - Engineer Astranis Employee Review

1.0
Nov 3, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Used to attract smart engineers who were willing to work hard for low pay to try to connect the unconnected - a few of those folks are left

Cons

They abandoned the commercial side of the business and are chasing military contracts. They only ever try to hire to fix issues; root causes of issue (largely lack of/ quality of management) are never addressed. Super toxic culture - 'only positive vibes' and the answer to problems is always to force people to work overnight shifts, weekends, to fix problems caused by bad management. Hardware is crap due to lack of most of the company caring, and a persistent culture of getting to the next visible milestone slightly faster, never quality. CTO 'doesn't believe' in systems engineering, so systems are a mess and again it is up to engineers to work overtime to fix it on the back end. Promotions are political; much of the senior leadership is completely unqualified but has worked at Astranis their whole career and knows how to brown-nose Gedmark - the true requirement for career success. Only thing keeping the company afloat is Gedmark's superb ability to con investors.

Explore other reviews about Astranis

5.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fast paced environment Free food/drinks

Cons

Not great career growth opportunities

1.0
Apr 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You work with a lot of smart people and a general growing company. The work life balance is manageable

Cons

In my experience, decision-making is highly centralized with the CEO, and the Finance team operates more in a reactive/support capacity rather than driving strategic insights. As a result, there is limited opportunity for Finance to influence key business decisions. The CFO’s role appeared limited, with a focus on alignment with the executive team rather than independently driving business decisions. This dynamic can make it difficult for Finance to operate as a strategic partner to the business. Leadership dynamics within the team can feel unclear at times, particularly around ownership of processes and decision rights, which can create confusion and reduce effectiveness. I also observed that career progression may not feel equally accessible to all employees, with advancement often influenced by informal networks and visibility rather than clearly defined criteria. This may impact retention and overall morale. While the company operates in person, much of the communication from the CEO occurs through Slack, including urgent or high-pressure messages. In my experience, feedback and expectations were sometimes communicated in a way that felt abrupt or escalatory, including situations where job security was threatened. This contributed to a more tense working environment than expected for an in-office culture.

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