They prefer looks/Instagram followers over smarts - Brand Experience Expert Refinery29 Employee Review

1.0
Sep 22, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Happy hours and team activities; teams get really close.

Cons

Horrible management from top to bottom. They prefer anyone who's a "cool," pretty "influencer" over people who are actually smart and good at their jobs. (This is what I witnessed over my 2+ year tenure there and has nothing to do with my departure.) This will be their downfall. It's laughable that they preach everything about "looks not mattering," but that's the exact opposite of what they practice at the office. Anyone who's not cool, trendy, conventionally attractive or unique-looking in a profitable way will be overlooked. They've also gone through several rounds of top-secret layoffs and "restructuring." Tons of managers are incompetent and got to where they are based on their looks/outfits.

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5.0
May 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great culture, extremely nice employees, diverse workplace

Cons

Not very cutting edge with their approach to tech

4.0
Mar 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Refinery29 was training day, every day. The pace and creative expectations forced you to sharpen fast. I cut my teeth here over four years and came out a fundamentally better strategist. The work was culturally plugged in, the people were sharp, and you were trusted with real responsibility early. If you wanted to learn how brand, content, and audience intersect at speed, there was no better place.

Cons

The intensity that makes it a great training ground also means the environment runs hot. Not everyone thrives in that — and depending on your team, support structures varied. The company went through a lot of change during my time, which created some instability.

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