- Work isn't interesting. I've asked countless ThoughtWorkers over the years about how they're liking their current account and the answer at best is always "Yeah...Good...". Rarely, if ever, has someone answered with enthusiasm about what they're currently working on.
- As others have mentioned, the pay is quite bad. While I've heard this across the board, I can speak more accurately on the San Francisco pay. It's been far below market since I started at the company, but recent compensation increases have been astoundingly low. For instance, employees promoted to the Principal grade level, one that is quite prestigious and goes through a separate and more rigorous process, were receiving pay increases of under $5k. On top of that, new hires are receiving pay closer to market value which isn't sitting well with employees who have been with the company for some years. Additionally, the company has recently gone public, generating capital that doesn't seemed to be trickling down to employees.
- The quality of people has been steadily dropping. Some new hires I've worked with have really startled me with gaps in their knowledge of CS fundamentals and even just basic computer knowledge that I would expect from someone who's fresh. The interview process was recently overhauled to expedite the hiring of candidates which in turn has lowered the bar.
- More travel restrictions (unrelated to COVID). After being purchased by a private equity company, one of the cost cutting measures was to put more oversight into employee travel and be more strict about expenses.
- No ownership of products and work. ThoughtWorks is a consulting company, so clients bringing us in will naturally only be willing to give up so much control and responsibility. One positive light here for me personally was that working at ThoughtWorks made me realize how much I value ownership.
If you're just starting off your career with little to no experience and training, ThoughtWorks may be an alright option for you. However, I would strongly encourage you to use it as a backup and look elsewhere for career opportunities based on the current climate of the company and the worse state it's on course for.
