Rokt reviews

3.9

68% would recommend to a friend

(371 total reviews)
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Bruce Buchanan

69% approve of CEO

79% positive business outlook

Rokt has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 371 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Rokt employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

371 reviews
1.0
Oct 14, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free lunch Genuinely smart people that, outside of leadership, are nice The offices are decent

Cons

My time at Rokt was one of the most stressful professional experiences I've ever endured. As a CSM, I found myself in a culture that prioritized intimidation over development, and fear over transparency. The leadership fails to address systemic issues within the company, preferring to dismiss those who struggle instead of taking the time to improve processes or provide adequate training. During my year at Rokt, I witnessed over 30% of the CSM organization placed on Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs)—a staggering number for an organization of around 100 people. Rather than using these plans as a genuine tool for improvement, they seemed like a means to push people out. It was clear that they valued turnover over retention, which creates a constant atmosphere of job insecurity and fear. Leadership is overwhelmingly young and inexperienced, with many having spent their entire careers at Rokt. This insularity leads to a lack of perspective and an unwillingness to challenge the status quo. They hold "calibration meetings" that feel more like judgment sessions, where they decide whether your performance meets their arbitrary standards—often with little explanation or clear criteria. And if you’re not one of their "golden, Australian children," your chances of success are even lower. It’s clear they play favorites, and if you’re not in the inner circle, the path forward is an uphill battle. They love to hire young professionals who are newly out of college who don't have previous working experience so they don't think there's anything wrong and that this is a normal working environment (it's not). Expectations are often unrealistic, and there is little room for error or learning. Bruce and Elizabeth, in particular, set standards that are impossible to meet without feeling like you're constantly falling short. Mistakes are not seen as opportunities to grow but rather as reasons to question your capabilities and job security. Expectations around office attendance is also quite frustrating -- 4 days required in office, even on a holiday week after arriving home from a company trip to Australia 2 days prior. There is no flexibility on anything. Moreover, there are serious cultural issues within the organization, including a history of misogyny and racism that has led to multiple lawsuits (Google it). The lack of diversity in the leadership team only exacerbates these problems, creating an environment where discrimination isn't properly addressed (they claim things like Black Face "aren't racist in Australia" and that "Australia has no racism" yet I witnessed it via comments towards the Aboriginal people). The perks, like free lunches and company trips, might look good on paper, but they don't make up for the lack of support, poor management, and toxic atmosphere. If you're looking for a place that values your growth and respects you as a professional, look elsewhere. Rokt is not that place.

1.0
Oct 28, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- 2 week winter holiday closure - daily lunch in office - $5k professional development allowance - peer colleagues are generally great - nice offices and amenities

Cons

I almost gave Rokt a 2 and not a 1 only because there are some phenomenal people here that I really enjoyed getting to know. But they are phenomenal people operating in a toxic system that knows how to sell itself well to candidates. Rokt is like the show Survivor. It's shiny and cool and exciting to get an offer and for the first few weeks everyone is super nice and all seems great. But then you learn that it's more like a Darwinian environment and people are voted off (let go under the guise of restructures or performance managed out) with no notice and less than acceptable explanation. I witnessed 7 different restructures across the business in my short tenure. Everyone is always on edge they will be next. The attrition rate is through the roof, make sure to ask about it in an interview. The rotating door is all about "raising the bar" of talent, like a sports team. But we aren't paid millions or part of a union and able to stomach a sudden "restructure" if let go on whim. And there is no recognition among the CEO or execs that this kind of instability does not foster an environment for people to do their best work. Instead, it's looked as a weakness of the employees to not be able to handle the adversity. Strength and survival at Rokt is not defined by great work, but rather as a willingness to work back breaking hours just to "meet expectations", sacrifice your mental health and grit through it, and to not think for yourself and instead take orders yet still be asked to think for yourself (if that reads as confusing, it is!). The people who you think are your teammates are actually other folks simply trying to survive and won't have a lot of time to help you. A lot of talk about teamwork and collaboration, but it's really each person for themselves here. The loudest and flashiest in the room always wins. And if you have a family, get ready to choose work to survive or choose to create boundaries and get fired/be an under performer not moving fast enough. Rokt moves at such a breakneck speed there are never any lulls where you can catch up on doctor's visits, feel guilt free about attending a school performance, or sometimes, just be around for dinnertime. What they are really looking for are super smart people willing to take orders and smile through the toxicity and devote their life to Rokt. The values are weaponized by the executive team and used as a way for the executive team to avoid any accountability at all. People stay here because of the money, they haven't found something else yet, or they are a favorite of the CEO and are a bit immune to the chaos (tons of favoritism and bias here). I read some of the Glassdoor reviews before joining, but neglected to look at all the upvotes to help see if some critical reviews were isolated or part of larger trend. Be sure to look at the upvotes.

3.0
Nov 23, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I think they *try* to care. I think management probably sees that the employees are giving a lot to the business and they try to combat that with ra ra culture initiatives. Cool company trips, tshirts and swag, lunch and snacks, celebrations and partys. Its fun. Also the people are the BEST.

Cons

But the reality is this is a place of burn out. They see it and try to combat it with gifts and parties but never by reducing the expectations or workload. People are killing themselves to stay above water, they dont need tshirts they need a break. They need to stop being thrown cureveballs and impossible standards. Its a really tough place to survive. Well, no. You'll survive for a little while. Maybe you'll even get promoted. But you'll burn out. Inevitable. You will burn out completely or get fired

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Rokt Response
4y
We are really sorry to hear you aren't enjoying your experience at Rokt. We would really appreciate the opportunity to speak confidently with you. We definitely do not want people to feel burnt out - it sounds like a conversation with you could help us understand what could be causing the feeling of impossible standards and fix that. If you are comfortable to speak with us, please reach out to the People team or CPO, Sarah Wilson directly.
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Glassdoor has 384 Rokt reviews submitted anonymously by Rokt employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Rokt is right for you.