Unhealthy, Dysfunctional Company - Anonymous employee TerraPower Employee Review

1.0
Dec 13, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

TerraPower compensates very well, the mission of the company is interesting, and the office has a relatively collegial, casual atmosphere.

Cons

The "engineer" review already posted here hits the nail on the head. Management at this company is really horrible. They are making bad decisions for the company, behave unethically, and are not at all focused on taking care of employees. Politics in the office are incredibly unhealthy - gossip, backstabbing between projects and groups, support staff being treated with disrespect, etc. A few individuals in management are allowed to do whatever they want at the expense of the best interests of the company and others. There are almost no women in technical disciplines, and those who are hired quickly leave because conscious and unconscious bias from several key decision-makers eliminates any chances they would otherwise have of a healthy, successful career. The company is not prioritizing work well, and this creates a feeling of constant chaos at the working level. They are building incredibly complex schedules for their projects that have far more detail in them than what's warranted for where they are in their R&D design cycle; and those schedules end up being really wrong, so they re-do them repeatedly. It's incredibly taxing on the engineers and a waste of time. The CEO is completely absent from the company, and the President is not at all trusted by employees. Employee morale is incredibly low, and in most cases the only reason more employees have not left yet is they either really want to be a nuclear engineer in Seattle (and this is the only game in town) or they are paid well enough that they really struggle to give up the big paycheck.

Explore other reviews about TerraPower

5.0
Apr 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good work life balance and fun team

Cons

Nuclear industry moves slow at times

1.0
May 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Cool project and they give you snacks

Cons

They will not communicate anything with you at all and then will churn you out if you’re a contractor at the drop of the hat. Management does not give you any of their expectations and completely sets you up for failure. Absolutely zero diversity. Very non-inclusive and non-diverse environment in one of the most diverse cities - which tells you something. Zero compassion or care for employees from management. My partner had a close family member die and we attended the funeral… all that was seen was my absence which was interpreted as bad performance. (They take off weeks at a time) If you have a similar personality to them, are a white male, not neurodivergent, good at corporate speak, can wiggle into their pre-existing friend group dynamic, and can read minds - you may be successful.

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