Great potential ruined by office politics, chaos and mind games - Anonymous employee Etsy Employee Review

2.0
Jul 28, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fantastic benefits, stunning offices. Dog friendly office, most people were very nice

Cons

Constant chaos, massive blame culture. Politics and mind games in HR was the worst I have ever encountered in over 11 years of being in the workforce. Work life balance was a mixed bag. Some team members taking complete advantage of it whilst others were clearly suffering from stress as a result of not being allowed to log off without fear of being reprimanded. Unreasonable escalations seemed regular and very common . Values were not lived up to. In saying this , I saw this at the time as being down to huge confusion and a lack of cohesion within senior management

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5.0
Jun 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Empathetic, smart people in a lot places.

Cons

Senior leadership has changed alot in the years since the pandemic highs and it's not quite stabilized. Overvalued executors and undervalued those with high EQ and people leadership. Promoted executors into senior roles and then they floundered and exited, or worse they chased away better potential fits for those roles who were overlooked.

5.0
Feb 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Etsy is, by far, my favorite company. From the outside, it has the characteristics of big tech —a big NYC office, a household name, and it's publicly traded. However, from the inside, it retains the soul of a startup. Collaboration is constant, office politics are minimal, and there’s a genuine community—people actually eat lunch together in the Brooklyn office and get together. I’ve been here for a year now, and I usually wait for that milestone before giving a review, I can confidently say I’d love to stay here for a long time. During my interview process, I noticed that many Etsy Data Scientists have tenures exceeding five years, which I think speaks volume. While the compensation might not reach Meta or Google levels, the work-life balance, mission, and culture are unmatched. The new CEO is also fantastic; her expertise is evident, and for the first time, I am actually aligned with the company's strategy, instead of just rolling my eyes the whole time at the all hands. As we continue to 'Keep Commerce Human,' Etsy is perfectly positioned to offer the human connection that is so often lost in the age of AI and mass production.

Cons

Nothing I can think of really.

3
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