Toxic Culture and Favoritism at Location 980 - Anonymous employee Joby Aviation Employee Review

1.0
Mar 14, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The workload itself is manageable and the job can be straightforward.

Cons

Location 980 has one of the most toxic cultures I have experienced. Management shows strong favoritism toward employees who are friends, relatives, or personally connected to them outside of work. Those individuals often avoid accountability for behaviors such as spending excessive time on their phones, leaving the line early, or socializing during work hours. Meanwhile, employees who work hard or speak up about fairness often feel targeted or pushed out. Training is poorly managed, and opportunities are sometimes given to underqualified individuals. Communication on the floor can also be challenging when conversations happen in languages others do not understand. Supervisors are sometimes not present in the department but still claim to know what is happening. There are also situations where technicians wait for QC inspections while QC staff socialize instead of prioritizing work. Bonuses and recognition appear tied more to favoritism than performance, and HR seems more focused on protecting management rather than supporting employees.

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5.0
Jun 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazingly talented team. Good leadership led by a true engineer CEO. Base salaries are not the highest in this space, but equity packages and associated liquidity make up for it. Decent benefits overall. Free meals are delicious and healthy.

Cons

Some growing pains evident as they transform from a small startup building prototypes to a large aerospace company building certified products at scale. Some dysfunction in the organization; some teams are not well-managed and/or understaffed. Occasional tension between cadres from different backgrounds, e.g. silicon valley, electric vehicles, and legacy aerospace. Leadership priorities sometimes shift unexpectedly, leading to churn and overly-aggressive schedules. Work-life balance can be a challenge at times.

1
5.0
May 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun place to be as an engineer. The company philosophy is to be highly vertically integrated across the full stack of technologies necessary to build and operate electric aircraft. This results in an environment where you are surrounded by the tools and technical expertise to build pretty much anything. The company mission is motivating. There is a steady stream of highly interesting projects to work on. The company culture is very open and friendly. 3 free meals per day, with most people eating together at communal tables.

Cons

Management frequently sets highly unrealistic schedules and goals, to the point that no front-line worker has any faith in the timelines. No one is motivated to reach and achieve a deadline that is impossible with the resources given. Space is at a premium in San Carlos. Everyone is crammed into the building like sardines. Few windows.

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