Ok at best - Software Engineer Leidos Employee Review

2.0
Apr 18, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Large company so there may be good teams to be found. I can only speak for my experience and other teams I interacted with. Efforts have been made to be perceived as a "tech company who happens to do government contracts" though mostly insincere. It's definitely still very much a "government contractor who happens to do software." Low technical bar for hiring so it could be a good stepping stone for early career folks or "lifer" types who just want to do the minimum and grind away until retirement. Looks ok on the resume in the DC area. You will relate to every Dilbert cartoon you come across.

Cons

Low technical bar, zero focus on culture -- Mostly mediocre unmotivated coworkers. Culture of doing the bare minimum to "meet requirements." -- Mediocre results for clients. Most teams are best described as boring people doing boring work in a boring place. Strictly hierarchical decision making process where technology choices are made by non-technical upper management who don't understand the implications of their decisions. Poor software development practices. Upper management talks about "agile" and "devops" but these are not done in practice. Arbitrary deadlines. Management believes stressed out employees is the ultimate sign of productivity. Management is considered a quasi-retired position which serves as a reward for loyalty/tenure. Most middle managers therefore lack management/leadership skills and simply serve as yes-men for their bosses. "but we've always done it that way" "it's already been decided" are unofficial company mottos. Frustrating environment if you take pride in your work/craft due to above issues. You will relate to every Dilbert cartoon you come across. Poor tech resources. Tiny old monitors, mediocre computers, IT resources such as VPNs are slow and unreliable.

Explore other reviews about Leidos

5.0
May 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Large companies. Willingness to work with you.

Cons

Low paying. No hybrid opportunity

3.0
May 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Leidos provides opportunities to work on complex government programs with meaningful technical challenges. Depending on the contract and team, there can be exposure to cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, systems engineering, networking, and mission-focused work that is difficult to find elsewhere. The company also has a large footprint, so there may be internal opportunities for people who are able to navigate the organization.

Cons

My experience was that the quality of management varied significantly by program. Communication around expectations, roles, and priorities was often inconsistent, and decisions that affected employees were not always explained clearly or handled in a transparent way. Work-life balance also depended heavily on local management. Flexibility that existed in practice could be changed quickly, and employees were sometimes left trying to reconcile changing expectations with existing workloads and personal obligations. In my view, the company would benefit from stronger oversight of program-level management decisions, especially where employee responsibilities, workplace flexibility, and performance feedback are concerned. I also found that technical decision-making was sometimes driven more by schedule pressure than by sound engineering judgment. On complex government programs, that can create unnecessary risk and frustration for employees who are trying to do things correctly.

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