Very old school for a tech company. - Anonymous employee Descartes Systems Employee Review

2.0
Mar 25, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

If you want to find a corporate culture that that resembles the 1990s, this is a good place to be. A lot of people at Descartes that I know of have been there for 10+ years, so many people here have built their entire career in one place. I heard recently there has been layoffs (there was zero layoffs during COVID, which is commendable), but nothing as drastic as any of the current tech companies.

Cons

Descartes is really a collection of little kingdoms because much of the company growth is through acquisitions. When I was there, they were making 3-5 acquisitions a year so the ecosystem is just a bunch of independent entities that shares the same email domain. Also, because of this, there is very little synergy between products since everyone stays in their own lane. The company is also very anti-tech for a tech company. For a company of their size, they are extremely cheap and would not pay for the best tools on the market. This create many inefficiencies, and one of the reasons why I left. Lastly, I think their pay is definitely below industry average. Some of the old timers mentioned above are still making 90s/2000s salary which is absurd.

Explore other reviews about Descartes Systems

5.0
Jun 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Wide product offering Lots of existing customers Financially stable

Cons

Descartes has grown and as a result has appropirate checks and balances within processes.

1
4.0
Jun 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great coaching, nice people, interesting solutions

Cons

Not a lot of growth

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