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Great pay and balance, let down badly by leadership

Software Engineer
Former Employee
Worked at DeepL for 2 years
August 26, 2026
London, England
1.0
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookDoesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

Compensation is genuinely competitive, and work-life balance is respected; you won’t be pressured into constant overtime, and the pay reflects the market.

Cons

Unfortunately, the positives are undermined by serious leadership problems. Senior management creates chaos rather than direction; priorities shift constantly, planning is poor, and basic organisation seems beyond them.

Despite this lack of strategic grip, executives micromanage day-to-day work, which is a frustrating combination: no clear direction from above, but constant interference in the details. Office politics plays a bigger role in decisions and progression than merit does.

Most concerning, I witnessed behaviour from some individuals that crossed the line into outright bullying, and it went unaddressed.

Advice to Management

Get organised. Set clear priorities, trust your people to execute, and take workplace conduct complaints seriously. You have the compensation and culture-of-balance foundations to be a genuinely good employer. The problems are fixable, but they all start at the top.

Additional Ratings

Work/Life Balance
4.0
Culture and Values
2.0
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
3.0
Career Opportunities
2.0
Compensation and Benefits
4.0
Senior Management
1.0

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