Something gets very lost from executives to VPs - Sr Director Smartsheet Employee Review

1.0
30 Sept 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

A “swiss army knife” of a product that can do almost anything in WFM so long as customer has deep pockets and lots of time.

Cons

One of the bigger examples of “brain drain” you will ever see after private equity steps in. Don’t be fooled, there is hardly any talent left at the management levels. The highest performers have left and 90% of those still there as so called “leaders” wouldn’t get hired anywhere else. Otherwise, they would left too. It’s unfortunate because there are a ton ICs and first time managers who are really good at what they do. Even though the job market is tough, the smart thing to do would be get out when you can. I see in other reviews the term gaslighting is mentioned a lot. Yep, that’s the perfect summary. But it’s ok, between AI and up and coming competitors, it’s all downhill from here. Unless you are the private equity holder; they almost always find a way to cash out.

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Smartsheet Response
8mo
Thank you for your feedback. We agree—our product is a "swiss army knife" that empowers our customers to achieve amazing things. We're proud of the hard work and innovation that has gone into building it, and we are confident in the direction we're headed. We can appreciate how the transition to private equity has brought significant change. That said, we believe in the strength of our teams and leaders, from those who have been with us for a while to those who recently joined. And, we see a host of opportunities on the horizon and are excited about what we're building next. Leadership teams have a strong desire to foster success for their teams, and we have a robust talent review process that is currently underway to ensure everyone is recognized for their performance. Thank you for your feedback, and we wish you all the best.

Explore other reviews about Smartsheet

5.0
11 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great collaborative environment and competitive

Cons

Easily overwhelmed with phone calls, chats, and emails.

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Smartsheet Response
2w
We're so happy to hear that you're happy here! Collaboration with a healthy dose of competition is always great to hear, thank you for your review!
1.0
26 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Supportive of AI tooling. I had a great manager. I heard the severance packages are great, but I left of my own volition, so I don’t have personal experience.

Cons

Complete lack of direction or management at the mid to high levels of the company in product and engineering (most everyone left or was pushed out by cronyism from the private equity acquisition). No more equity offered to employees. No opportunities for promotion. They’ve shipped or are shipping most of the core products (including the core “sheet” aka Grid app) to India and have laid off tons of employees (somewhere between 12% and 15% of the company). Upper management did the thing where they had the US developers interview tons of people out of India, and then about half a year later laid off tons US developers, including several of the people that did the interviews. Upper management said that the India teams would be working on other projects, but clearly that was a lie. They laid off people without consulting their managers, or their manager’s managers, and without knowing what team they actually worked on or what they did. So entire teams were laid off unbeknownst to them. Very quick and poor handoffs to India, if any. You will likely be working on multiple teams at once, or moved to multiple teams during your time there in short periods of time. On-call can be a nightmare. There is no culture of any kind. Basically do not work here, whether you’re out of the US, India, or Bulgaria (the main countries for developers).

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Smartsheet Response
3w
Thank you for your honesty. While we’re glad that you had a great team and the tools you needed, it’s incredibly tough to hear that other aspects of your experience were less than great. To your point about equity, we’d like to clarify that we do offer a limited equity pool with specific eligibility. That said, navigating transition is already tough, and adding in other aspects like global shifts and new leadership can make it feel even harder. We know the dust hasn’t completely settled, and we understand that we have a lot of work to do to repair employee trust and morale. We’ve set off on that journey, and we appreciate all of this feedback along the way. Thank you, and we wish you all the best in your next chapter.
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