Esri Software Developer reviews

3.6

50% would recommend to a friend

(87 total reviews)
avatar

Jack Dangermond

66% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

Software Developer employees have rated Esri with 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 87 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Software Developer professionals have a good working experience there. Esri is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Software Developer professionals compared to other employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

87 reviews
4.0
Aug 30, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Low stress, making a difference in the world, green, cutting edge, flat hierarchy structure, not competitive, friendly co-workers, people are always willing to help you out, users are generally pretty happy with the software we produce. A lot of emphasis on releasing quality software.

Cons

Poor management at all levels of the organization. There is a lot of dead wood. The company is getting too big for it's flat management structure. The software product is getting very large and bloated; maintaining the solution often prevents people from doing truly innovative things.

4.0
Jul 12, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

My co-workers here were some of the smartest, hardest working, passionate people I've ever worked with. Being a software development company, the projects were interesting and always used the latest technology and tools, and I ended up learning a lot here. It helps that ESRI is, in some ways, the 800-lb gorilla in the GIS industry, so whatever we did seemed to have a huge impact. Seeing the cool things our customers could do with our software was really fulfilling. The casual atmosphere is also ideal. The offices are laid-out well, with lots of light, and each person gets his/her own office. When I was looking for a new job, having ESRI on the resume helped in GIS software development openings.

Cons

I gave up a lot of weekends and evenings working here, which I wouldn't have minded if it didn't seem so lost and chaotic there at times (not the fault of my co-workers, but of my direct manager and his manager). There is no semblance of a software development process here (not in the team I worked with, although my manager liked to think he had one!). I think ESRI is still going through some growing pains and trying to negotiate in an industry that's become more competitive and has more players. Some mid-level management was in desperate need of leadership classes (no, lying and manipulation will not motivate your workers!). I believe in ESRI as a company, although their execution needs work. Location - Redlands is not a great place to live and is becoming worse with the typical plowing-over of open spaces and overdevelopment of the suburbs (although it's not nearly as bad as San Bernardino). If you have a spouse in tech, he/she will either have to also work at ESRI or drive all the way to Orange County (a brave feat!) to find work. It's dreadfully hot in the summers, and the air quality is one of the worst in the US. I did like it's proximity to hiking and other outdoors activities though. Jack Dangermond is too entrenched in Redlands, and he really should've moved the place somewhere a little more lively and comfortable when the company was still small.

3.0
Jun 28, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Leading place for GIS. Quite revolutionary in its approach. Privately owned, debt free, led by a visionary. A very niche area. Very nice place to work - awesome colleagues, very helpful. Tis the place to be if you want to do something special.

Cons

Compensation has not kept up with the times. There is the danger of complacency within the GIS space, especially with competition hotting up. Employee recognition doesn't always seem decipherable

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