Toxic Company - Project Architect CannonDesign Employee Review

1.0
Feb 1, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

It depends on your position and specific work setting

Cons

I highly advise against working at this company. The culture is beyond toxic and management operates in a way that leaves you unsupported and set up to fail. They have a rule that every project must have a licensed architect, yet once projects are assigned, you’re left to figure everything out on your own. Employees who’ve been there longer offer nothing but cold shoulders, and there’s no BIM support at all, which makes the work extremely difficult and frustrating. Despite having an office in India, the company doesn’t have BIM managers to oversee projects—this is mind-blowing for projects of this scale. The expectation is that U.S.-based architects will shoulder the blame for poorly executed and coordinated drawings, regardless of the lack of resources or support. You’ll be overloaded with assignments that are way beyond your pay grade and there’s a culture of peer pressure to just smile and keep going—underpaid, overworked, and unappreciated. To make things worse, some senior leaders in key positions are simply insecure placeholders, and many aren’t even licensed architects. This makes it incredibly difficult to have any respect for them, especially when they treat you like you’re nothing. And while the company works with some of the largest contractors and engineering firms, a bad manager and/or lack of resources can tarnish your reputation for the rest of your career. If you work here, you’ll always be looking over your shoulder, and if you stand up to the way things are handled, your future could be destroyed. They have connections everywhere and crossing them could ruin your career. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this company—there are plenty of other places where you’ll be treated with the respect and support you deserve. New York, NY Office.

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CannonDesign Response
1y
As the leader of the NYC office, I want to sincerely apologize. Your review has been weighing on me because it means you didn’t feel comfortable sharing your concerns with me or another leader — and that’s something I never want anyone to feel. More than anything, I want you to know that we hear you. It’s not easy to bring up concerns like this, but I hope you’ll reach out so we can have a conversation. What you mentioned seems to stem from miscommunication and a lack of clarity around how we manage projects — things we can work through together. If that doesn’t feel like the right path for you, please reach out to HR or any member of our executive Core Team. We’re all here to listen and figure this out. I’ve shared this review with our full leadership team in NYC, and we’re already talking about the changes we need to make. -Rich Kahn, New York City Office Practice Leader

Explore other reviews about CannonDesign

3.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of corporate perks, ARE, remote work

Cons

Figure this out early. They are looking for strong corporate citizenship and follower of corporate culture. So, if you say the wrong thing around the water cooler, you will be seeing the HR soon. Be a zombie, get it right the first time and you will keep your job.

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