Where do I begin? There are several aspects of my time at KnowBe4 that stood out and made me question the company as a whole.
Corporate Culture & Leadership:
• The corporate culture at KnowBe4 presents a specific image with rules such as "No talking politics in the workplace," but beneath the surface, it quickly becomes clear that the company’s leadership often prioritizes optics over substance. The presence of certain symbols, like an Israeli flag prominently displayed on the executive floor as soon as you exit the elevator, may not resonate with all employees, and it raises questions about inclusivity, morals, and ethics within the workplace.
Vista’s Impact Post-Acquisition:
• After Vista acquired KnowBe4, employees began to feel the impact almost immediately. The company made sweeping cuts to compensation: no more cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), bonus payouts became rare, and raises became "merit-based." New employees received little to no stipends, making it increasingly clear that financial growth within the company was not a priority for anyone else except C-Suites and Stakeholders. What can be saved internally amounts to financial growth for C-Suites and Stakeholders at the end of the year, if this wasn't clear.
Return-to-Office Mandates:
• Despite a significant amount of employees living more than an hour away from the main office, the company enforced a strict return-to-office (RTO) mandate. Given the high cost of living around Clearwater, FL, employees found it difficult to find affordable housing locally, and the company provided zero support for commuting expenses or tolls. These policies felt out of touch with the realities many employees were facing.
Incentives & Employee Recognition:
• Incentives for meeting goals often felt trivial. For example, the “reward” for hitting targets sometimes involved the CEO talk8ng of sporting a mustache or of cutting his hair, etc.. These hardly address the core needs of employees who are underpaid and undervalued.
Leadership Disconnect:
• The previous CEO’s behavior was particularly striking. During company-wide meetings, he shared personal stories about his wealth, including buying a mansion and having the seller offer to trade him houses—and considering it, as if this was no big deal. At the same time, a significant portion of the workforce was struggling to make ends meet. When concerns about compensation disparities were raised, the response was always that they “abide by market rates through yearly research,” but when asked for data to back that claim, nothing was ever provided. It felt like lip service rather than genuine transparency, despite "radical transparency" being a "core value" at KnowBe4 since KnowBe4s conception.
Final Thoughts:
While working at KnowBe4 may offer some improvements over retail jobs, that comparison doesn’t really say much, considering the extreme working class exploitation that often occurs in retail environments. The company’s attempt to maintain its culture post-acquisition was evident in its messaging, but the reality was far from the stated. Employees were left feeling disillusioned, undervalued, and unsupported.
It's crucial that employers recognize their responsibility to treat their workforce fairly, not just with flashy incentives or superficial gestures, but with genuine respect for their contributions, needs, and financial well-being, as corporations are nothing without their working class employees. In my experience, KnowBe4 failed to live up to these basic standards; however, we all know this is a symptom of a much bigger issue, that is seemingly getting worse.
Also, they ask new hires to post a company review and responses to reviews are pure lip service.
