Tech lead role exists to inflate the ego of engineers who can't coach - Senior Software Engineer HubSpot Employee Review

2.0
Mar 22, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I have been at HubSpot for a long time and at this point in time, there is probably a 25% chance you have a Tech Lead who takes ownership for their role and team and is invested in the development and coaching of their individual contributors. If you get one of these tech leads, you can feel confident you will be in good hands and receive actionable and valuable feedback. There are strong mentors and empathetic people at HubSpot, but in 2023 those in management roles are rare. If you're on a good team with a good TL, it's possible you won't know how bad it is on other teams.

Cons

Tech leads have no ownership or responsibility for their team. Problems that occur are treated as the fault of individual contributors and not the tech lead responsible for training them. Tech leads do not know how to be invested in the growth of their engineers. I wish I could share some of the feedback and reasons for termination I've seen peers be given. People are being humiliated in public slack channels and their feedback/reasons for termination are lists of pedantic communication points with no proof the tech lead ever tried to coach or help them. These tech leads are often strong engineers who were put in the tech lead role out of necessity and treat the role as a boosting of their own ego. Many lack empathy, patience, and grit to be a people manager or coach. There should be a reason these roles are paid what they are, but many of these TLs are failing in their role. I do many interviews and have long been a promoter of HubSpot. I have been grateful for how HubSpot has helped me grow myself. But what I have seen in public channels and behind the scenes to colleagues shows that this is not an environment in which people will be invested in. Your growth is not important here - only for other engineers to inflate their own egos. I've become embarrassed to work here, and I think it's not long before this is the reputation of HubSpot as a whole in the tech sphere.

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5.0
May 4, 2026
Recommend
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Pros

Work life balance Lovely colleagues Good salary pay out

Cons

Disruptions of ai - Saaspocalypse How the company pivot in the next 1-2 years will be crucial

1.0
Jun 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Positive Culture: The people and immediate team members are genuinely kind, collaborative, and supportive. Work-Life Flexibility: A true 100% remote work environment that offers great day-to-day flexibility. Solid Perks on Paper: The benefits package explicitly includes an unlimited PTO policy.

Cons

The "Unlimited PTO" Trap: While the company advertises unlimited PTO, it is impossible to take without penalty. If you take time off, you are still strictly required to make up every single call you missed while you were gone to hit your monthly metrics. Declining Direction & High Turnover: The company has faced a very rough year and is heading in the wrong direction. Morale is incredibly low, and talent is actively draining from the organization—several people are resigning entirely, going on medical leave due to stress, or desperately trying to transfer to different internal teams. Unrealistic, Extreme CSM Metrics: Customer Success Managers are being pushed to the brink by unattainable, rigid KPIs. The role has shifted from strategic relationship management to a high-volume, transactional grind. Current monthly expectations include: 80 calls per month 76% connected call rate for low-usage accounts 50% engagement rate required for at-risk accounts Stagnant Compensation: Despite the extreme increase in workload, micromanagement, and pressure, the annual raise for CSMs this year was under 2%, which fails to align with basic cost-of-living adjustments.

4
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