Immature & exhausting - Anonymous employee Instrument Employee Review

2.0
Aug 13, 2021
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Early career professionals are going to find a lot of opportunities to grow. Most of it will be doing creative work making videos and websites for interesting or well known brands.

Cons

Instrument is very producer-led, so career growth in the other disciplines has a very low ceiling. Pay is generally below market, so shop around for other offers. The biggest drawback will be working under a leadership team that is almost completely homegrown. There’s a lot of disorganization and overthinking that could be avoided by hiring people with senior experience at better run agencies. Worst of all, it really does feel like high school. It sounds like a petty gripe, but it is true and it’s an example set at the top.

Explore other reviews about Instrument

5.0
Jun 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great company with great people. Seamless life, work balance, and a very nice company culture.

Cons

No big cons as far as my concern. The pay can be slightly better, but it's okay compared to other agencies' standards.

3.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The people here are great. Every team feels fairly connected, even for a 250+ person agency. Work/life balance is the best I've experienced at an agency so far. Pay is fair and scales depending on where you live and your experience overall. Work has the potential to be interesting, but most clients we bring in are not looking for ground-breaking work.

Cons

The benefits are not extraordinary, other than generous PTO. Recently removed a sabbatical program. Layoffs that come as a surprise, with scrambles only months later to fill the eliminated roles. Freelance hiring is hit or miss. Publicly-owned with a parent company that doesn't align with Instrument's morals. Leadership feels fairly disconnected and not genuinely interested in resolving the low morale amongst the larger team. Seemingly more interested in advertising themselves and using AI than in focusing on craft and high-quality projects. Constant leadership departures create anxiety.

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