Engineer - Anonymous employee Helix Employee Review

1.0
Mar 31, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Well-funded company with a seemingly worthwhile mission

Cons

Culture of the workplace is too campy and lacking in substance. Dissent is often discouraged. Not enough progress is being made to hit important milestones.

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Helix Response
9y
Thanks for your feedback. At Helix, we appreciate different opinions. We question each other. We question our own ideas. We thrive on continually setting the bar higher and we obsess about “getting it right.” We pride ourselves on this, and if you feel like you can’t do this, or your disagreement is discouraged, we need to fix it. We learn from every interaction and encourage you to talk to your manager, teammates, or come and talk to me, Jade or Robin (CEO) directly if you feel you aren’t being heard. We are unique. We are building a company that is mission-driven, and our team and customers invest at an emotional level. Working at Helix is an opportunity to create something customers will love that’s rooted in shared values. It is so rare that sometimes people are in disbelief and might think it is inauthentic or “campy.” We find meaning in making a difference in people’s lives and empowering every person through DNA. We come to work every day with the belief that DNA holds the power to help all of humanity lead better lives. We’re on a mission to do just that. We hope you will commit to joining us on that journey. --Jim Chou, VP Engineering @Helix

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5.0
Feb 19, 2026
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CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Dynamic fast modern company with lots of opportunities to learn modern tools.

Cons

Modern fast companies often require occasional uncompensated overtime and rapid changing priorities

1.0
Nov 2, 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The industry the company is in has potential.

Cons

After a decade, many basic processes are still not standardized. Simple tasks that should be easy elsewhere take unnecessary effort here. Mid-level managers form cliques, handling conflicts by forcing the more reasonable side to back down. Double standards are everywhere. People who don’t do the work tend to oppress those who do. Managers have a shallow understanding of both the work and people, resorting to bullying those who are kind while avoiding confrontations with the strong or rude. There's a constant manpower shortage, and higher-level issues are often dumped on lower-level employees, but salaries and promotions don’t reflect this. Meetings are mostly for show—employees are only allowed to ask trivial questions or praise each other. If you bring up real issues, they’ll either ask you to fix them yourself or tell you to stay quiet. Layoffs have been frequent over the past year, mostly targeting decent employees who won’t cause trouble or those who dare to speak up. The company is rigidly hierarchical, both in title and race. Middle managers give speeches as if they’re important figures, which is laughable. The quality of employees has dropped, and management is full of holes. Issues in old negative Glassdoor reviews remain unresolved to this day. The tolerance for toxic employees and the chaotic management have left good employees discouraged—they either find excuses to leave or simply cut down their productivity. As one one-star review said, this company needs a complete overhaul, not just minor tweaks.

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