CoStar presents itself as a market leader, but internally it is one of the most toxic workplaces I’ve experienced. The culture runs on overwork, surveillance, and fear rather than trust. Layoffs happen annually with no clear strategy or explanation, creating constant instability and making teams feel disposable.
For product managers, the environment is especially bleak. There is no true product vision—initiatives are reactive, short-term, and designed purely to extract revenue. Real user problems are ignored in favor of band-aid features that look good on a quarterly report. Decision-making is top-down and erratic, with little transparency or autonomy given to PMs or their teams. Any attempt at long-term, meaningful innovation is quickly stifled.
Workload expectations are unsustainable. Teams are spread thin and not backfilled, asked to deliver more with less, and then blamed when unrealistic goals aren’t met. The overall effect is draining—most people leave burned out, disillusioned, and questioning why they stayed as long as they did.
If you’re a product professional looking to do meaningful and ethical work, learn, or grow, you will not find it here. CoStar is a fear-driven sales machine that happens to employ PMs and nothing more.
