Does Ginkgo BioWorks pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Ginkgo BioWorks employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Ginkgo BioWorks. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Ginkgo BioWorks?

22% of Ginkgo BioWorks employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Ginkgo BioWorks 3.3 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.1 for culture and values and 2.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Ginkgo BioWorks?

Test Engineer (10) , Director (9) , Engineer (7) , Organism Engineer (7) , Software Engineer (6) , Associate Director (5) , Medical Technologist (5) , Scientist (5) , Senior Engineer (5) , Automation Engineer (4) , Operations Engineer (4) , Fermentation Engineer (3) , Operations (3) , Organism Engineer III (3) , Program Coordinator (3)

What are the pros of working at Ginkgo BioWorks according to real employee reviews?

"great people to work with" ((in 32 reviews)); "The established culture is great and growing with each month." ((in 25 reviews)); "Most wonderful, talented colleagues who make the company." ((in 10 reviews)); "I felt like I could be myself, and working was fun; great coworkers" ((in 9 reviews)); "They really care about their clients and work hard for a good work environment" ((in 6 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Ginkgo BioWorks according to real employee reviews?

"Poor management is everywhere and this is not an exception." ((in 10 reviews)); "Leadership is abysmal." ((in 10 reviews)); "Lots of insecurity with employment such as frequent layoffs." ((in 9 reviews)); "Work/life balance is challenging." ((in 7 reviews)); "a lot of people have left finding better pay elsewhere." ((in 6 reviews))

What are employees saying about Ginkgo BioWorks redundancies in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Ginkgo BioWorks redundancy and their outlook for job security at Ginkgo BioWorks in 2026.

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Ginkgo BioWorks

Ginkgo BioWorks Reviews

Compare reviews

2.9

22% would recommend to a friend

(188 total reviews)

Jason Kelly

22% approve of CEO

5% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.7

Diversity and inclusion

3.3

Work/Life balance

3.3

Compensation and benefits

3.1

Culture and values

2.5

Career opportunities

2.1

Senior management

Ginkgo BioWorks has an employee rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 188 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Ginkgo BioWorks employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

188 reviews

2.0

3 Jun 2026

Smart, driven colleagues but shifting business strategy challenges

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

People are incredibly smart and driven to make biology easier to engineer. Lots of high quality colleagues

Cons

Business strategy changes frequently, it’s hard to find new and meaningful sources of revenue

5.0

2 Jun 2026

Hands-off management fosters autonomy, with occasional overtime

Senior engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

a hands-off management style and a flexible work environment that promotes autonomy and trust

Cons

Occasional overtime may be required, but that is common in most workplaces

4.0

5 May 2026

Great team and pay, but job stability issues

(ssenior) associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Great team, salary, and location with option to be wfh

Cons

Not the best job stability// frequent layoffs

Viewing 1 - 3 of 188 Reviews

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Jobs at Ginkgo BioWorks

Director, Government Partnership Development

United States

US$170K - US$274K /yr

(Employer provided)

View job

Automation Engineer 2, Automation Support Applications

Automation Scientist Intern, RAC Operations

Software Intern, Autonomous Lab

Senior Software Engineer - Driver Developer (Autonomous Lab)

Boston, MA

US$134K - US$190K /yr

(Employer provided)

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