Chinese company culture - Software Engineer ByteDance Employee Review

4.0
May 4, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The pay is very decent and the general working culture here is pretty flexible as long as you get your work done. The matter of if you are able to get your work done in time is a different story.

Cons

The office is predominantly Chinese (from China). I am Chinese myself from SEA and I speak Mandarin at home with my parents and siblings and speak Mandarin with my friends as well. However, I still struggled alot here because 80% of documentations are written in chinese and the "proper" China accent is just so hard for me to understand. Meetings were brutal and reading documentations were the same. It could be because I was grouped in a predominately Chinese team but I cant imagine someone not knowing mandarin being in my position.

Explore other reviews about ByteDance

5.0
Jun 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance is amazing

Cons

There are no cons for this role

2.0
Jul 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The pay is competitive, and the overall compensation package is fairly good.

Cons

If you are not Chinese, career advancement can be significantly more difficult, especially when it comes to promotion opportunities and visibility with leadership. I previously worked in HR compliance at ByteDance. While large-scale layoffs may happen less frequently than at some other companies, the company may use many unusual or legally questionable approaches to pressure employees to resign or justify termination. Employees should be very careful, understand company policies, and keep written records of important conversations.

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