A Hot Mess - Anonymous employee Tongal Employee Review

1.0
Sep 24, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very nice office location by the beach of Santa Monica. Good salary, bonus structure, benefits and other perks. Get to work with the top brands in the world. A few good, down to earth people who work very hard and are enjoyable to work with.

Cons

Despite all the money the company puts into PR and marketing, the company is by no means anywhere near a rocketship. There doesn't seem to be a clear vision for the business or even a mission statement for that matter. A lot of employees uninspired or burnt out. Leadership is so focused on short term revenue goals that they are neglecting any legitimate innovation on the platform, which is a hot mess and not cutting it for client or internal usage. Money is spent like water on fancy hotels, sponsoring unnecessary conferences or awards shows and PR. It almost feels like the Founders want to pat themselves on the back by spending money on these things even though this company is slowing down. They are spending like they are a billion dollar company when the company is a tiny startup. Career path lacking for most employees...an old boys club mentality internally. If you are an early employee or chummy with Founders, you are good...otherwise you are screwed. Constructive feedback is often met with a defensive, strident attitude by leadership that no one really bother speaking up. Echoing an earlier review, the business is indeed very services heavy...which is a major concern to the future of the company. Management made several decisions that were baffling without caring to take employees input first.

Explore other reviews about Tongal

5.0
Apr 22, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun, challenging, engaging, interesting, exciting

Cons

Unpredictable, occasionally heavy work load

2.0
Jan 16, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-The business model is really awesome and gives a lot of creators an opportunity that they wouldn't normally have. -There are some very exciting clients to work with. -There are clearly growth opportunities for the company as a whole. If done strategically, Tongal can really turn the industry on its head and take off. -The benefits are good. Unlimited time off is great in theory but not a lot of people are able to take advantage of it. Pay could be better, it is on the lower end of the market range. -The gender split is pretty even but there could be a bit more diversity otherwise. -There is finally an HR department. This was lacking for a long time. -Tongal's office is in an excellent location.

Cons

-There are no clear career paths. People stay at Tongal for several years but since the organization is so flat, there is no laddering up easily. If you are not one of the clear favorites, get in, get your experience, and get out. It would be great to see some effort centered around professional development. -Culture is intermittent. Leaders only seem interested in cultural events if they are instagrammable. -There are a lot of #squads in the office and nothing is being done to discourage this. Especially since leadership are often the worst offenders. Sometimes it seems like there is a lack of respect towards employees who are not part of the "inner circle".

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