RealNetworks reviews

2.9

33% would recommend to a friend

(304 total reviews)
avatar

Rob Glaser

37% approve of CEO

18% positive business outlook

RealNetworks has an employee rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 304 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The RealNetworks employee rating is 25% below average for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

304 reviews
1.0
Jul 11, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

They will pay you good money, and you don't have to do a lot of work. There is always a lot of anxiety around quarterly earnings, but if you put your head down and don't make a lot of noise, you won't get fired for a long time, and can keep cashing those paychecks.

Cons

The senior management are completely incompetent, so they keep changing their strategy and priorities. The company barely squeaks by each quarter, so everyone is focused on fighting short term fires with no regard whatsoever to any long-term vision. Most of the company works in private offices, and there is no sense of camaraderie or enthusiasm-- in fact, because of the culture of blame that is pervasive, most managers are territorial and backbiting. It is a terrible place to work

2.0
Jul 8, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really great and smart people work there. Benefits package is very good. If you have a high tollerance for disfunction, you can gain a great deal of experience. You get to work on interesting products.

Cons

No clear strategy at a corporate, divisional, and product levels. Senior managament is not allowed to make the desicions neccessary to do their job well, which causes a great deal of backlash. Bullying occurs as the highest levels in the organization and is tollerated as part of the culture. Pay scale is not in line with the market. "Launch" mentality prevents us from getting the best and right products to the market. There is never the time to do the right solution, only the fastest one.

2.0
Jul 5, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice location in Belltown. Most developers have actual offices, not cubes, which greatly enhances productivity. Some of the developers are pretty smart. Cool technology. Cool media people hang around the company.

Cons

Real exists only as the CEO's ego-plaything. He founded the company and owns enough stock to control the board, yet spends a lot of time distracted by political activism, trying to hang out with "cool" musicians, etc. Rob spends just enough time on the company in order to keep it alive or to send it chasing his latest fad. Sadly, this means that Real will never go anywhere. Even when Rob has had the correct vision, the execution was terrible. Apple, Adobe (Flash), YouTube, and Microsoft have eaten Real's lunch in areas it should have had an overwhelming advantage in. My friends laugh at RealPlayer. Most good people stay long enough to realize the company is a dead end (or tire of the low pay) and then leave, or they carve out niches for themselves and go to sleep. It's hard to fire bad people.

Viewing 283 - 285 of 304 Reviews

Glassdoor has 322 RealNetworks reviews submitted anonymously by RealNetworks employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if RealNetworks is right for you.