The Mission is Not for You. - Anonymous employee BetterUp Employee Review

1.0
12 May 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The talent inside this organization is truly of the highest caliber at the IC/Front Line Leadership level. You will build great community inside the company, relationships that will last a lifetime as you will be trauma-bonded through the experience. Great benefits, access to coaching - which need to be leverage to take care of yourself, as you mental health is at risk inside this mental health organization (weird, right?!)

Cons

No psychological safety inside this company. You either tow the line or you are out. No accountability from executive leadership, in their eyes they are perfect and the current outcomes of our business is blamed on hiring. Let's all agree, if a person is highly successful prior to joining and is highly successful after leaving, then the problem is not the individuals it is the operations of the business that limited and blocked their ability to find success here. Nepotism runs deep here, there is an inner circle of folks with titles that do not match their experience and have had numerous complaints to HR that go unmanaged. It is known they are untouchable and everyone knows it and at this point has to laugh about it. (side note: let's tone down the VP titles that are overly abundant here for no reason and no org chart to support it) There is no true HR function (easily read as a desire to maintain control), this is unique given our product and need to sell into CHRO that we do not prioritize or value this function. Onboarding requires a Glassdoor review, they add it to your calendar as {Action Requested] to block time to review the company your first week in your role. They are currently actively pursuing removal of negative Glassdoor reviews and have been successful on a handful and in the interim requesting teams flood Glassdoor with positive reviews that all share one thing in common "we are a fast paced startup, and we are not for everyone" This is outward published example of the gaslighting that exists here. "You are not a fit, you are not an extreme owner, you have a victim mindset" when you pose anything that challenges their directions or when you are forced to do the job of many with changing priorities. They leverage the mission and employees' true desire to change people's lives to neglect the burnout that exists but the truth is we are chasing dollars/valuation not impact. Very few people are happy here, and so being told if you do not like it here then leave; passive path to downsizing so we do not impact the brand outwardly. This is not the time to join this organization, perhaps when the board makes changes at the top then we will see this business run properly but until then be warned. Fun fact: The title of this post is a direct quote from founder to company.

Explore other reviews about BetterUp

5.0
10 Jun 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I'm not held here against my will for a cause... I'm paid to do something I actually care about. I see a lot of people on Glassdoor debating the strength of the business model, but I've never seen anyone argue that what BetterUp is trying to do isn't worth doing. I'm a part of a company thats net positive for the world. That alone feels like a feat in 2026. AND I'm getting paid well. No "mission discount".

Cons

This isn't a money-growing-on-trees unicorn startup from 2018. This business model is hard. We're selling human potential development when most companies are trying to figure out how to replace humans with AI. Its not easy but I think its kind of important... A lot of people experience being overwhelmed here. Thats real. It happens enough that clearly the culture is playing a role. Every company has its own version of crazy. My advice to people thinking about working here: ask direct questions in your interviews to figure out if you're okay with Betterup's kind of crazy. You'll get honest answers. After 3+ years I've genuinely grown to love it

2
5.0
10 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nearly 8 years in, and the work still pulls me forward. What keeps me at BetterUp is that the problems are genuinely hard and genuinely worth solving. I came from engineering, so I'm wired to care about infrastructure, not just features, and this is one of the rare places where you can build something foundational and actually see it move metrics, clear escalations, and unblock a whole go-to-market motion. The mission isn't decorative here. I can feel the thread between the work and the outcome. BetterUp also trusts you to figure things out across lanes. I've written SQL, prototyped with AI tools, facilitated workshops, and co-designed vendor strategy, all as a PM, because the culture doesn't penalize curiosity or reaching into adjacent territory. And honestly, some of my closest friendships came out of this place. The people I work with, on engineering, on cross-functional teams, and in peer mentorship, are people I genuinely learn from and, in some cases, people I can't imagine not having in my life. That combination of meaningful infrastructure work, real trust, and people who challenge you and become your people is not easy to find. The benefits span beyond general work-life-balance, if you're curious about something, there's always an open door to learn and contribute. As a woman in tech, I cherish the fact that our colleagues listen to women, and our insight is taken into account instead of just ignored. It's nice to feel safe at work, able to speak your mind freely.

Cons

If you want a boring job, this is not the place for you.

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