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      My dream job has slowly become a nightmare - Software Engineer MongoDB Employee Review

      2.0
      Feb 2, 2022
      Software engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      I started working at Mongo full time as my first real job after a great internship experience. At first, it seemed too good to be true. The campus team was determined to make sure I was happy and worked really hard to get me rotating on teams that were interesting to me. Getting to work on my current team full time was a dream come true, at first. There were interesting problems to solve, smart people to work with, and a mission that I cared about. Obviously by the title of this review, things have deteriorated since. Despite the mostly nice people and all the things I've learned, the culture and environment have had a tremendously negative impact on me mentally and emotionally. It's honestly been devastating watching this job morph from something that built my self confidence in to something that mostly brings me stress and heartache. I'll get in to this more in the cons section, but there are still some things that I recognize have been pros: - Great benefits - Pay keeps up with the cost of living in NYC - At the lower/less senior levels, lots of kind and genuine people - Internship program was an amazing opportunity - Lots of interesting problems that need engineering effort to solve - Culture that generally encourages employees to speak their minds (although there is no guarantee it will change anything) - Employees strongly encouraged to regularly take time off - As an engineer, lots of chances to be a mentor or receive mentorship

      Cons

      As I said, my dream job has become a nightmare. I never expected that I would experience so much volatility during my first job- a time where I should be focusing on improving my skills, not caught up in worry over the latest drama. I've changed managers 4 times without ever changing teams, and hardly anyone is left from the original team I joined. I've seen first hand the way a toxic culture transforms people for the worse and breaks them down until they feel their only option is to leave. It's the classic metaphor of a frog in a boiling pot of water- the transformation has been gradual enough that I can only look back and wonder how I ended up in a position where I'm upset all the time and apathetic about the future. There's so much to unpack, but to briefly summarize the cons: - Extreme volatility and high turnover in certain departments (such as my own) - Generally, HR exists to protect the company, not to support employees. I mostly felt that trying to improve things by engaging with my HRBP was a drain of time that could otherwise be spent improving my professional skills. - Top down management style and toxic culture that hasn't changed significantly despite repeated employee complaints in my department - High potential for burnout as the culture drains you mentally and emotionally - Lack of developer autonomy when a decision is made unilaterally at the top I know someone from the company is going to reply to this and encourage me to reach out to the employee experience team. I want to make it clear that I did in fact do that a while ago when it was suggested by my HRBP, and it was one of the most negative experiences I've ever had with an HR representative. It did not make me feel heard or improve my outlook. Working with HR in general has not been helpful- even when one of my colleagues contacted our HRBP to say she was worried about how the team environment was impacting me, not a single person from HR reached out to check in on how I was doing. As much as I do believe that people have the capacity to grow and change, a corporation is not a person, and I am incredibly skeptical that these conditions will improve.

      avatar
      MongoDB Response
      4y
      Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are very sorry that you are experiencing this frustration and frequent changes within your team. While we continue to experience exponential growth, adapting to change and ensuring we have the right leaders in place to support the vision of the organization and our employees can come with unique challenges. It is our goal to ensure that employees feel heard and supported and that improvements are made to the organization based on overall employee feedback. Cultivating a culture of psychological safety where employees have the freedom to be creative, implement their ideas, and have their voices heard is of utmost importance. Leadership training and development is also a very big focus for us this year, and our Learning and Development team is consistently improving its programs to set up all employees for success. Our HR team has rapidly evolved over the past year, and we understand it may be confusing and frustrating to know who to reach out to for support. We are working to provide more transparency and clarity on how to best receive support to ensure employees do not feel unheard or stuck. Additionally, if you aren’t satisfied with the support you’ve received thus far, you may also escalate within HR by reaching out to your Employee Experience Director and/or HRBP Lead.

      Explore other reviews about MongoDB

      5.0
      Jun 8, 2026
      Internship
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      The early talent team does a fantastic job supporting interns and making the transition from college to full-time comfortable. Team's truly do care for you

      Cons

      Felt like there was a lot changes happening at the executive level

      1.0
      Jun 6, 2026
      Enterprise account executive
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Employee stock purchase program is great.

      Cons

      This was one of the most toxic sales cultures I’ve experienced. Management creates an environment where you never know where you stand, regardless of your performance. Expectations constantly shift, feedback is inconsistent, and trust is virtually nonexistent. QBRs are particularly unprofessional. Rather than serving as coaching sessions, they often feel like coordinated attempts to find fault. Managers openly collaborate beforehand and during QBRs (yes, we see you slacking each other) to identify issues and pressure reps, creating a culture of fear instead of development. Account ownership is also a major concern. Accounts and opportunities can be taken away without warning, even when a rep is performing well and has invested significant time building relationships. This makes it difficult to feel motivated or confident in your long-term success. The organization measures and critiques nearly every activity, resulting in extreme micromanagement. Reps are treated as if they cannot be trusted to do their jobs, and leadership seems far more focused on monitoring and criticism than enabling success. In my experience, the company tends to hire less experienced salespeople who may be more willing to accept this environment. Strong, seasoned reps who value autonomy, transparency, and professional respect are unlikely to thrive here. If you’re looking for a culture built on trust, coaching, and empowerment, this is probably not the place.

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