Warning to prospective applicants - Operations Samsara Employee Review

2.0
Sep 21, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

They have all the startup'y stuff - cool office, swag, free food, etc (or at least they used to, pre down-turn). Product is something companies need to meet insurance/regulatory requirements, so there is a viable business model here. Company is financially/strategically run well by the CEO and board, so while it may mean employees are just expendable resources to be used and discarded, the metrics are king and it they will do whatever necessary to keep it that way.

Cons

Culture was difficult and toxic before the downturn/layoffs, and even worse now. You can read the many review about the cut throat sales org, so I won't speak to that. here. I'm here to give my feedback about engineering and operations, where I resided. There is a clear division here within the org layers. Bottom level are all friendly, happy, and get along well with each other. Middle management (Director/VP) are horrendous, and are way out of their leagues. GIGANTIC egos here, and you'll work here for literally a week before you start to question their decisions and whether they have actually done this before or are worthy of their roles. It's downright scary. 2wks in you'll start to question your own decisions to move here. Pay is terrible. No bonuses, equity-only raises, and sub-standard salary. Many feel stuck here, with perception that the job market is difficult and they have no options. I don't know many who are really 'happy' other than the original employees who are deep rooted in management favor. I underestimated how much happier I'd be after leaving. I really didn't appreciate how toxic this place was to my overall mental health until I was gone. Please don't learn the hard way. Read the reviews - the genuine ones - and weigh them carefully.

Explore other reviews about Samsara

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great career growth and compensation

Cons

You have to be willing to adapt

2.0
Jul 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Innovative product, constantly growing the platform

Cons

Compensation doesn’t feel competitive for the workload and expectations of the role. Frequent annual changes—including territory realignments, account books, verticalization, and quota adjustments—create unnecessary disruption and make it difficult to build long-term customer relationships and pipeline. The company has grown rapidly, but account distribution hasn’t always kept pace with headcount, leaving many reps competing for limited opportunity and making OTE difficult to achieve consistently. The Team Lead role is one of the biggest pain points. Team Leads are expected to operate like frontline managers without the compensation or authority that comes with a management position. They carry a fully ramped quota while also traveling, mentoring new hires, leading office hours, answering rep questions, supporting onboarding, and taking on enablement responsibilities. While these leadership opportunities can be rewarding, they often come at the expense of selling time and make it significantly harder to hit quota.

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