Great Vision with Terrible Execution - Acquisition Analyst Zillow Employee Review

3.0
1 Dec 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great colleagues Takes culture seriously (albeit slightly Leftwing like what you'd expect from a Seattle company) Strong vision at the top for Zillow's future Larger, stable employer with excellent benefits Lots of work from home options

Cons

Too much of leadership is from finance/tech and not enough from operations. The result is micromanaging and the promotion of "technicians" who are not "leaders". KPIs are detached from objectives, departments are siloed, and mid level leadership has no strategy (or, worse, pay lip service to strategies that are mutually contradictory). It's a very frustrating environment for someone who wants to contribute. They prefer a "do what you're told" leadership style.

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Zillow Response
5y
I appreciate your candor and your vote of confidence for our company's vision and culture. While I don't agree with your comments on execution, the importance of hiring great leaders with strong real estate operations experience is key. In fact, if you're a candidate reading this, and you have great leadership experience in real estate operations, ping me directly on LinkedIn. I'd love to talk to you. - Shane Faller, Vice President of Acquisitions

Explore other reviews about Zillow

5.0
13 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great company to work for

Cons

Long hours with low pay

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2.0
1 Jul 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Generally the people I work with are great. They are supportive, creative, and work well as a team. Work-life balance is good, although some teams have more on-call than others.

Cons

- Senior leadership has determined that inflation need not be a factor when calculating raises. - Also, we're having record profitability! But also money is very tight and we all need to tighten our belts. - Our stock is down 50% this year, but you all need to suck it up, even though stock is a huge part of pay. - We don't care that you are getting a 30% effective pay cut this year. - Performance ratings are calculated on vibes before reviews are actually written. - We've started outsourcing heavily to Mexico and India. - "We need to raise the bar" ("Please work harder for the same pay") - Health benefits have eroded for several years. - Other benefits have never been adjusted for inflation. - AI is becoming like a cult. We've actually been told that the dream is to never open a code editor again, despite the technology not being remotely ready for that (and with no proof that it is less expensive or saves time).

1
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