Ego driven declining business - Anonymous employee dbt Labs Employee Review

1.0
Aug 1, 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of hype and empty words from upper management and CEO. dbt Labs is like a cult. You will enjoy it here if you like being in one.

Cons

People leaving 5 star reviews for a company that just went through multiple rounds of layoffs is exactly what is wrong with this company. It is full of Inconsiderate and short sighted people whose overblown egos have destroyed lives. Yet some have the audacity to say that it has done wonders for their career ! Disgusting. The values of this company are as big as a joke as their business model. At my time at dbt Labs I have seen people get fired left right and centre for reasons as small as minor disagreements, not meeting a minor part of their quarter goal, or due to a random out of the blue restructure. It's a lottery ! dbt is a declining business, with ever growing competition. Every other kid on the block has taken their open source offering and build a cloud solution around it which is 10x better than what dbt offers. Worst of all they compete with their own open source offering. The upper management, particularly the CEO are highly incompetent. And as with all ego driven organisations, the upper management has built circles around themselves to protect their jobs. Everyone is on the list to get fired, unless you are in that sweet inner circle. If you bootlicked your way up there, you will be expected to leave a 5 star review here for obvious reasons.

Explore other reviews about dbt Labs

5.0
Jun 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I was a SDR 3 years ago for 2 years. We were pretty small back then and the team was amazing and the managers and directors pushed you but had your back in every way. We had a director that was invested in us until the end to get us promoted to whichever path we truly wanted.

Cons

Change in management pre and post merger

1.0
Feb 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Dbt used to be an amazing company to work for. The culture was exactly what you would want.

Cons

Once a new COO was brought in to “make changes,” the culture and execution deteriorated significantly. Senior sales leadership created an environment that was particularly hostile to women. Support for parental leave was minimal, and women’s needs around that time were openly deprioritized in both planning and expectations. In Revenue Operations, multiple high-performing women were pushed out through a pattern of unrealistic deadlines and shifting expectations. Decisions were delayed for months at the leadership level, then timelines were retroactively enforced and blamed on the women responsible for execution. These roles were later backfilled with men. Women of color who have been publicly recognized multiple times for their impact and contributions, and who have been with the company since its early days, have yet to be promoted despite sustained success. At the same time, poor performance from certain male employees was repeatedly overlooked, requiring others to absorb additional work to compensate. Many of the strongest contributors, both professionally and personally, have left or are actively leaving. If you value work-life balance, mental health, and equitable treatment, especially as a woman, this is not a supportive environment.

5
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dbt Labs Response
4mo
Thank you for taking the time to write this. The themes you raise, especially around the experiences of women, equity in promotion and performance management, leadership behavior, and parental leave — are serious. I want to acknowledge that directly. The environment you describe is not the standard we hold for ourselves at dbt Labs. If anyone has felt pushed out, overlooked, or unsupported, particularly during critical life moments - that matters and needs to be fixed. As we’ve grown and evolved as a company, we have made changes. Some have worked well. Others have required reflection and adjustment. Feedback like this is important because it pushes us to examine our leadership behaviors, decision-making, and systems more closely. If you would be open to it, I would genuinely value the opportunity to listen directly and better understand your experience. There is absolutely no pressure — but please send me an email if you're open to a 1:1 so I can hear more and action on the feedback. (megan.pittman@dbtlabs.com) -Megan Pittman, Chief People Officer, dbt Labs
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