Worst place to work -- insanely political and demoralizing - Anonymous employee TikTok Employee Review

1.0
Jul 8, 2021
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

We're successful despite ourselves, due to the app's popularity.

Cons

1) Insane hours (to have impact, you'll need to work with many colleagues in China and hours of overlap start at 5-6pm Pacific). 2) STRONG China bias: your colleagues in China will have more influence and impact, period. Colleagues regularly avoid collaborating with US counterparts to 'move quickly.' 3) Many team leaders are power-hungry and compete for scope at the expense of individual contributors. 4) The company philosophy is to intentionally allow for role overlap and fuzzy swim lanes to have teams compete. 5) On most teams, it's an extremely long and tedious process to get promoted, even if you've been performing well and there is a business need. 6) Benefits don't even come close to comparing to top tech companies like Facebook and Google. 7) They (so far) have been saying they will be inflexible about the ability to work from home after the pandemic, even though the hours are not sustainable. 8) Very poor senior leadership, lack of clear direction.

Explore other reviews about TikTok

1.0
May 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are some truly fantastic and talented people in the company who make daily collaboration a great experience. Additionally, the insurance and overall health benefits package is quite strong and comprehensive.

Cons

The work culture is heavily driven by top-down directives from HQ, leaving little room for open discussion, transparency, or questioning management decisions. The bi-yearly rating cycle feels highly punitive and is frequently used to target individuals rather than foster growth, leading to an environment where anyone can be abruptly let go. Work-life balance is virtually non-existent due to tedious, high-volume workloads and constant alignment with overseas timelines. Furthermore, leadership instability is a constant concern; local management changes rapidly, frequently replaced by leaders from the parent company, creating an unpredictable and highly volatile work environment.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All