Be warned - Anonymous employee Dapper Labs Employee Review

2.0
13 Dec 2020
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Some really talented, smart and fun people there. Diverse group from different backgrounds and countries. - Never boring, your role will evolve as the projects do, which can be a good opportunity to learn. - Nice office with classic start-up perks (lunch on Fridays, snacks, onsite gym), holiday and summer parties. - Partnerships with well-known brands (NBA, Dr. Seuss, UFC) make for cool projects.

Cons

- Low salaries. Raises and equity are not given in an equitable, transparent way. - It is expected to work long hours, on weekends, and over holidays without additional pay or benefits. Overworking is glamorised and recognised publicly. - Unlimited vacation is a trap - You can grow professionally if you really advocate for yourself, but it is not top-of-mind at Dapper. You just need to do what needs to get done, regardless of whether that is advancing your career or not. There are seldom conversations about what you’d like to be doing more or less of in your role. - There are some issues with inappropriate behaviour and sexism at Dapper. - Lots of turnover at all levels, a lot of the people who’ve been there a long time are choosing to leave. Leaders and managers especially do not last long.

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Dapper Labs Response
5y
Thanks for sharing your feedback, we believe in transparency so wanted to take the time to respond. It’s true that working hours are longer than a “normal job”, it’s also true that 2020 has been a crazy year. That said now that our products are live, we are already seeing things get more predictable. In terms of salaries, we comp to the U.S. market annually (for example, our band for senior engineers corresponds to 95th percentile for Canada and a bit under 70th percentile for the U.S.), and we also include very generous equity and token grants that together should mean generously above-market compensation. If anyone feels that’s not the case, they can escalate through any number of channels. Every single full time employee at Dapper Labs is an equity and token owner by their first year here. Of course there will be some exceptions around when our team members can take time off. As with any tech startup, certain deadlines and product launches will need to be factored in. That being said, our team members have flexible schedules and we encourage everyone to take at least 15 days off each year (the same group above, senior engineers, have taken an average of 18 days this year—nearly a full month) with no hard limit. In terms of growth and development, we believe this is a two-way street. We push for every team member at our company to have a documented growth plan, and we expect team members to work together with their leads on this. Our most successful team members have put in the time, and are proactive about creating additional impact vs. having this scoped out for them. Additionally, we provide each team member with the independence to take advantage of our professional development budget to gain new skills throughout the year. We recognize turnover is a natural part of a startup’s life and we take pride in the fact that our turnover rate is quite low comparatively. We have team members who have been with us for 6+ years, while also having welcomed back former team members with open arms. As our organization evolves and as we strive to nurture a high performance culture, we know that not everyone will be a fit at every stage, and that’s ok. We’re committed to creating an environment where our team feels valued and empowered, so while we’re disappointed to hear about your experience, we thank you for sharing your feedback with us as it helps us continue to grow.

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5.0
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Pros

I get to admire and learn from the best CEO

Cons

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1.0
22 Dec 2025
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Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Full remote flexibility. Interesting technology and passionate community around the products. Smart, talented colleagues who genuinely care about the work.

Cons

Lack of clear strategic direction creates constant whiplash in priorities. CEO micromanages extensively but provides no actionable direction - constantly asserts your approach is wrong without offering viable alternatives or having clear answers himself. Leadership style is characterized by rudeness, emotional outbursts, and anger rather than constructive feedback. Frequent organizational changes and layoffs generate persistent instability and anxiety across teams. This fear-based culture stifles innovation and drives high turnover at all levels.

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