Most negative reviews on GD are from angry, disgruntled (former) employees. I think we can all agree on that. With that said, before even thinking of taking a job at Talkdesk, reach out to any former employee for the scoop and you’ll realize what the 50+ people who left in 2017 realized the hard way: You'd have to be an absolute fool to work at Talkdesk in any capacity. There were good people at this company. We left. The good people still there are plotting their exit. Also, know that the 5 star reviews are all written by HR.
The CEO shows no regard for his employees and will lash out at them in public and private. You and your hard work mean nothing to him. He has no amount of decency or respect for anyone who works for him and only cares about himself. The COO, while on paper looks qualified, is nothing more than an evangelist (when he's even in the office, which is rare). In fact, no remaining AE would want him involved in their deals.
The company ended its fiscal year on January 31st with not a single AE or SDR hitting their OTE or quota. Read that sentence again and do not be lied to: a salesperson will not hit their number here. If you do close a big deal, you're not celebrated and your commission is likely incorrect; there have been numerous 6 figure deals closed where the CEO himself has decided not to pay out what is due to the sales person who closed the deal. The company recently hired its 4th VP of Sales in the last 3 years which tells you that the problem isn't a sales problem. In the last 8 months, the company has seen the following roles leave: Head of Engineering, Head of Product, Heads of Business Development, VP of Sales, Head of Customer Support, SDR Leader, numerous AEs, SDRs, CSMs, their best SEs, and nearly every product manager. Talkdesk is literally hemorrhaging talent by the week.
The CEO is full of hubris about himself and his company; make no mistake: he'll screw you if it means gains for him. Because he sold the first few millions back when the company focused on SMB, he believes that literally anyone can sell the product. This isn't true when you look at all of the competition in the space (Five9 is eating their lunch). He'll literally lie in front of the entire company about potential future funding rounds (he says a B round is coming but in reality has no plans to raise another round because that would mean his own dilution and giving up a seat on his board of which he holds 1 of 2 seats), he will not invest in tools to make his teams more productive, and the product has more feature gaps than you could possibly imagine. Do not kid yourself: there is no Series B on the horizon regardless of what your recruiter tells you. In fact, the company has needed to secure debt financing more than once in the last 12 months, and will need to do so again very soon.
If you join this company, you’ll leave within a year.
