Cloudera - Could've Been, Should've Been, Will Never Be If Things Continue - Anonymous employee Cloudera Employee Review

2.0
Aug 1, 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Free lunch every day (personally cooked by chefs) and plenty of snacks/drinks - Flexible WFH and remote working policies - Good supplementary benefits (beyond health benefits) - Though few, there are are some good people left at the company holding it by the bones - Great company for managers, directors, VPs, etc. to continue playing the "Enterprise Game"

Cons

- Favoritism runs very deep in this company. If you're not "in" with the right leaders, do not expect promotions or market-worthy raises. This has been going on for years before the merger. - Attrition is high and morale is low. Retention packages were issued as the only means of keeping talent. Those who received a package were senior leadership or sales and engineering, which speaks volumes if this company can't even attract and retain engineering or sales talent. - Little opportunity for growth for individual contributors. Most business units do not have good (or any) documentation or onboarding plans. From day one, it was clear that I was not set up for success. If you interview here, make sure you ask the right questions to vet your managers and their "plans" for you and their team. And then, hold them to it. Be very careful if you consider joining this company. - Middle Management and Upper Management are not technical. Unfortunately, many in their positions today are unqualified and need some serious coaching. Few understand the day-to-day of their team, and if they do they can only speak to it at a high level. Most spend their time fighting political battles with one another, and sending their direct reports on meaningless projects to cover more ground for themselves and make themselves look good for the next title promotion. - Cloudera likes to pride itself in "moving fast", but very few here understand the market and make decisions based on emotion.

Explore other reviews about Cloudera

5.0
Jun 10, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone is willing to help and wants to see you succeed Lots of opportunities to grow within the company/organization Flexible work/life balance Strong Technology

Cons

Multiple platforms - troubling at first to balance between them all, but after some time it is a breeze.

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Cloudera Response
1d
Thank you for the 5-star review. We are delighted to hear that you find Cloudera to be a supportive environment with strong growth opportunities and great work-life balance. We also appreciate your feedback regarding our multiple platforms. We are glad to hear that navigation becomes smoother over time, and we are proud to have you on the team in Austin.
5.0
Jun 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* Amazing and supportive community with highly talented and approachable colleagues. * Welcoming, inclusive, and friendly culture that makes it easy to feel part of the team. * Excellent technology stack built around Apache Software Foundation projects and modern engineering practices. * Strong open-source-first mindset that promotes innovation, transparency, and collaboration. * Flexible work arrangements with the option to work from home, while office attendance is encouraged to foster collaboration and maintain a strong sense of community. * Gorgeous offices worldwide that provide an inspiring and comfortable work environment. * Plenty of opportunities to learn, grow, and work on impactful projects alongside exceptional engineers.

Cons

* The highly flexible work-from-home culture, while appreciated by many, can sometimes lead to sparsely populated offices. Employees who value face-to-face interactions and spontaneous collaboration may find it harder to build connections and discover new opportunities. * Processes and organizational structures are intentionally lightweight, but this can occasionally result in unclear ownership, shifting priorities, and coordination challenges when deadlines approach. * The strong emphasis on autonomy means teams may operate differently, which can make cross-team coordination and planning less predictable. * Communication and collaboration often require a proactive approach, especially in a distributed environment.

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Cloudera Response
1d
Thank you for your 5-star review and your eight years of dedication to Cloudera. We are glad you value our inclusive culture, open-source mindset, and talented team. We appreciate your constructive feedback on cross-team coordination and distributed collaboration. Your insights are incredibly valuable as we continue to improve our planning processes while maintaining the workplace flexibility our employees enjoy.
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