The Gang That Can't Shoot Straight - Anonymous employee Adobe Employee Review

3.0
Apr 4, 2012
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits- top of the line health insurance, 401K match, and more. Working from home is permitted. Also comfortable offices and decent onsite food.

Cons

Adobe has lost its way. Top management is out of touch and focused completely on Wall Street, not on pleasing the customers. Middle management is so focused on keeping their jobs they are scared to do anything that will kill the cash cow. Front-line managers are unable to effect change and don't get much respect. Layoffs are an annual event now, and each September on the company slowly grinds to a halt as the rank and file waits to find out whether they'll have a job the next year. It's terrible for motivation and also encourages short-term thinking, since nobody can assume that either the strategic direction nor their jobs will be the same over the long haul.

Explore other reviews about Adobe

5.0
Jun 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Awesome manager, work life balance, great pay, good food

Cons

No head count would have loved to stay

4.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* Refreshing focus on employee wellness * Brilliant colleagues * Compelling problems on interesting tools * Good work/life balance culture... generally (see cons) I've been at a few big tech companies and Adobe is one of my favorites. I feel empowered to make impactful changes here, I'm constantly stretching myself in fun ways, and the products we make are incredible. Product and engineering have big dreams, and all the resources we need to realize them.

Cons

* Big time crunch culture around arbitrary goals By far my biggest disappointment has been just how hard product pushes on big projects with arbitrary deadlines and difficult scope. It turns into cutting corners and delivering sub-par experiences even though we absolutely have the talent and capability to make some exceptional things if we just let the dang thing bake a few more months. I'd be more impressed with the tight clip if the goals were reasonable for good business reasons, but as far as I can tell the reason usually boils down to "some high-level manager wanted X and thought Y sounded like a good target date". * Comp growth leaves something to be desired. Raises feel pretty flat, though it's not the worst thing since stock rewards can be pretty good as appropriate for performance. Career progression is pretty good here too - I just find it odd how stale the base pay increases are year to year.

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