Was great when I started, now experiencing a mass exodus of great people - Anonymous employee Smartsheet Employee Review

3.0
Dec 20, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

When I first started at Smartsheet I loved everything about the company. Everyone was deeply invested and we were moving forward during a very exciting time. Benefits are still great, everyone has equity and the company just went public. Great product and I think the support team still provides world-class support to customers.

Cons

Having said all of that, most of the people that made Smartsheet a success and a great company to work for are gone. Now people are being hired into the organization above the real movers and shakers , causing many of them to leave and killing the culture. I still talk to lots of friends there. All areas of Smartsheet are declining. The really smart people are leaving and the company has completely lost its culture, with boot-licking and back-stabbing becoming more common. This is across mostly engineering and support, but I hear rumors from every department.

avatar
Smartsheet Response
7y
I’m glad to read that you still believe in the product and services we deliver for our customers. It is absolutely true that Smartsheet continues to grow and evolve, and that being a public company requires new ways of operating. A team of 100 communicates and engages differently than a team of 1,000 (not necessarily better, I should add, but differently). But living our values, operating with a growth mindset, and taking the initiative to contribute meaningfully does remain our goal. If you attended the all hands meetings and heard me repeatedly describe how each of us play a role in developing and maintaining culture, hopefully that is something you can carry forward to your next company. I’ve been here for over a dozen years, since the beginning, and I remain dedicated to empowering our team to serve one another and our customers to the best of our abilities. Best, --Mark Mader, CEO

Explore other reviews about Smartsheet

5.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great collaborative environment and competitive

Cons

Easily overwhelmed with phone calls, chats, and emails.

1.0
May 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Supportive of AI tooling. I had a great manager. I heard the severance packages are great, but I left of my own volition, so I don’t have personal experience.

Cons

Complete lack of direction or management at the mid to high levels of the company in product and engineering (most everyone left or was pushed out by cronyism from the private equity acquisition). No more equity offered to employees. No opportunities for promotion. They’ve shipped or are shipping most of the core products (including the core “sheet” aka Grid app) to India and have laid off tons of employees (somewhere between 12% and 15% of the company). Upper management did the thing where they had the US developers interview tons of people out of India, and then about half a year later laid off tons US developers, including several of the people that did the interviews. Upper management said that the India teams would be working on other projects, but clearly that was a lie. They laid off people without consulting their managers, or their manager’s managers, and without knowing what team they actually worked on or what they did. So entire teams were laid off unbeknownst to them. Very quick and poor handoffs to India, if any. You will likely be working on multiple teams at once, or moved to multiple teams during your time there in short periods of time. On-call can be a nightmare. There is no culture of any kind. Basically do not work here, whether you’re out of the US, India, or Bulgaria (the main countries for developers).

1
avatar
Smartsheet Response
1w
Thank you for your honesty. While we’re glad that you had a great team and the tools you needed, it’s incredibly tough to hear that other aspects of your experience were less than great. To your point about equity, we’d like to clarify that we do offer a limited equity pool with specific eligibility. That said, navigating transition is already tough, and adding in other aspects like global shifts and new leadership can make it feel even harder. We know the dust hasn’t completely settled, and we understand that we have a lot of work to do to repair employee trust and morale. We’ve set off on that journey, and we appreciate all of this feedback along the way. Thank you, and we wish you all the best in your next chapter.
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All