Overall good gig, but some red flags - Software Developer Knak Employee Review

3.0
Oct 17, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Hybrid/remote options. They allocate funds to professional development. Generally laid back working environment, can work on what you're passionate about, and I haven't personally been massively rushed to get my work done. Home office improvement budget. Every Friday we get to put aside our regular work and work on something that interests us.

Cons

The biggest con for me is the company culture. For example we are openly hostile and derogatory when talking about our competitors, to the point where the CEO will call them names or say derogatory things about them in Slack for the whole company to see. It seems childish to me. We can beat our competitors with grace, we don't have to lower ourselves like that. It also confuses the message, our competitors are simultaneously a threat to us but also incompetent and not deserving of any respect... which is it? The company in general feels like it's nurturing a Silicon Valley type of culture, but it feels more like it's out of the TV show and not California. Expect people to be drinking the kool aid here. In terms of the codebase, it's suffering from years of building a product as quickly as possible. I don't hate that because as a startup that's what you need to do, but now the codebase is now a huge mess. Simple changes take too long and break other features in ways you never expected. There are initiatives going on to improve it which people seem open to, but I am still personally seeing people just building things as quickly as possible with disregard to future maintainability which gives me doubts about it ever improving.

Explore other reviews about Knak

5.0
Apr 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing culture (the best)! Everyone is a rockstar, super competent, positive, and overall great people. Work is also interesting and fulfilling

Cons

Nothing I can think of.

5.0
Mar 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Insanely helpful environment from top to bottom Creative product with room to grow Decent work life benefits

Cons

Still a startup so expect some deadlines but managed well generally by the heirarchy

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