Unfair game of musical chairs and I'm out! - Software Engineer Fanatics Employee Review

3.0
Jan 7, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* my co-workers were great: kind, smart & hard-working! * clean code-base that hasn't yet had time to accumulate cruft * young & dynamic company that could be on its way to #1 in the US Sportsbook & online gambling market * top notch business leadership

Cons

FBG has copied Amazon's policy of giving managers a quota of 10% of their reports that should be "missing expectations". So my manager (who has never been a Software engineer) was monitoring every individual's performance to be able to decide who had to be "missing expectations". My team was high performing and almost always finishing our projects early. Of course the evaluation metric my manager used is simplistic and easy to game; if you know what's going on! In my case the metric seemed to be "Jira points" finished. So people who cut corners to go faster are rewarded and people who are thorough are penalized. As one successful staff engineer told me after I decided to leave: "If the solution isn't *obviously* terrible; I go for it!" Worst of all I did not receive any feedback or guidance from my manager until it was too late. I was just told "you're missing expectations"; but I couldn't do anything about it! This happened to me on both of my performance evaluations! After a miserable year at FBG I decided to make it easier on everyone and chose a "voluntary" exit program which will give me back my happiness.

Explore other reviews about Fanatics

5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Part of Fanatics Betting and Gaming -Work/Life Balance: managers really stress keeping good work/life balance. When I told mine that I had to work a couple extra hours to finish something before a sprint they told me to take another couple hours off during the next week or so. Also, half-day Fridays in the summer! -Remote work. -Smart, driven developers. -Good benefits package.

Cons

-A bit of a start-up nature causes some odd, sporadic development blockers. Not a big enough deal, but can be an annoyance.

5.0
Jun 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This is specifically for Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG), as I can't speak on the other lines of business. - autonomous work with the freedom to really put your stamp on projects - minimal red tape, allowing you to execute and move swiftly - full remote culture, with the expectation to respect employee calendars - stability- the company is careful not to overhire and retain its employees - the people- despite being remote, I feel close to my team and work around people who really believe in the mission and products we provide

Cons

- Remote work is not for everyone. If you aren't letting management know what you are working on, it can sometimes slip through the cracks. - Full autonomy is a double edge sword. It's fantastic for those who feel like their work is often hindered by unnecessary red tape, but it can be a struggle for those who work better with a set structure and routine. - Technology has been improving and the commitment to leveraging AI tools is encouraging, but there is still a bit of manual work still that can lead to human error. - benefits and pay are fair here, but you have to dig a bit to fully utilize all the benefits we have.

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