Don't consider this company unless you are into schoolyard type behavior. - Sales GumGum Employee Review

1.0
14 Feb 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Free food and lots of alcohol (if you're into excessive drinking) Nice office Few nice co-workers

Cons

Management of this company are atrocious and it all stems from the COO - "the fish stinks from the head down". If you pander to the COO's massive ego you will progress at this place, however if you're not part of the "in crowd" you will be subject to gossip, lack of progression and few (if any) compensation increases. The CEO isn't a bad guy (although its weird how he doesn't really run the place and lets the COO get away with his divisive and condescending management style) but he's convinced the company is in the business of AI. The only thing that has ever made GumGum money is ad tech however the CEO is convinced the company has to expand into sport and health which all lose currently lose (lots of) money. The concerning thing is the cash cow ad tech business is also now faltering as the quality of the tech is (correctly) questioned by advertisers and agencies, and the ad market moves towards greater automization. Overall the senior management team have very little experience, if any management experience at all outside of GumGum. Decision making is thus poor and introspective. It really looks like the company / management actually has no idea what to do now the market has evolved from what allowed some early success. On top of this, pay is below industry standard and churn is high. Its an ok gig if you're straight out of college but if you're more senior, don't even consider working here. Oh and almost forgot to mention - beware of many of the overly positive reviews here, they’re fake and mostly written by the COO. Laughable!

Explore other reviews about GumGum

5.0
15 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

GumGum is known for their strong community first outlook as a business. They make sure employees feel appreciated and seen no matter what level they're at in their career. Being able to go into work and feel safe and seen as a human being first is really all anyone could ask for and GumGum does this exceptionally well.

Cons

Career Development doesn't always feel tangible. There are so many great departments, but it's challenging to see a clear process with how to move up in the company.

2.0
19 Aug 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Some talented colleagues with innovative ideas; flexible work arrangements; potential in the adtech space if leadership were stronger

Cons

Leadership is weak and political, with the new CEO only scratching the surface while ineffective senior leaders remain in place. HR and Finance are the most toxic and ineffective I’ve seen in 15+ years, and it sets the wrong tone across the entire org. Titles and pay are inflated at the top while frontline staff are undervalued. DEIB efforts are a joke, just box-checking, with people of color underpaid and disproportionately impacted in layoffs. Upward feedback is useless as it only applys if your manager has more than one direct report, which shields bad managers from accountability. There is little room for growth unless you kiss up to leadership. Equity is reserved for the “in club,” excluding the employees actually driving the business forward. Morale and innovation are stifled because leadership is more focused on protecting their titles than supporting employees or building a sustainable culture. The company lures you in with promises like an annual bonus, then takes it away completely. What kind of company does that? One that doesn’t value its people.

9
avatar
GumGum Response
9mo
Thanks for sharing your perspective. We’re proud of the community impact we’ve created and the grassroots DEIB efforts that continue to drive meaningful impact across our org - though we know there’s always more we can do and we’ve never claimed to be perfect. We also appreciate your feedback on the Upward Feedback process; while we’ve expanded it more broadly this year, we’ll keep iterating to make it more far-reaching. We remain committed to creating meaningful growth and development opportunities for our teams, and your input helps us continue to improve.
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