Terrible Sales Enviornment - Account Executive Datadog Employee Review

2.0
22 Apr 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great product and great experience to thrive in a toxic environment

Cons

-Sales quotas are wildly aggressive. Around 90% of reps are missing quota unless they qualify for the New Logos bonus. The “must-make” quota policy is 70% less than your quota in most cases which shows the clear lack of discrepancy. - Your base salary is way below standard and you are brainwashed to think of those 'big wins' that are few. - Raising concerns with management often leads to being shunned or sidelined. There’s a lack of psychological safety, speaking up feels risky. -A large number of HR cases are opened but rarely lead to any meaningful outcome. -Managers frequently reassign inbound leads to their preferred reps, with little transparency. It creates an unfair playing field and a culture of favoritism. -Internal competition can feel toxic — there’s a lot of backbiting and politics, especially when pipeline is scarce.

avatar
Datadog Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear about the concerns you raised regarding sales targets, internal processes, and team dynamics. We understand how elements like quota expectations, lead distribution, and workplace environments can shape the overall experience in a high-performance environment like sales. We actively review and refine our sales processes to support greater clarity, consistency, and fairness across the organization. Topics such as psychological safety, transparency, and accountability remain priorities, and we are committed to continuous improvement. If you’d like to share more details confidentially, we encourage you to do so via EthicsPoint, our anonymous third-party reporting platform: https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/52231/index.html This helps ensure feedback is reviewed and allows us to take appropriate action where needed. Thank you again for bringing your perspective forward.

Explore other reviews about Datadog

5.0
9 Jun 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

People first culture, endless opportunities to grow, learn new things beyond your role’s scope and get promoted

Cons

Compensation on a lower end

4.0
18 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Datadog has a strong product, smart coworkers, and a fast paced environment that teaches you a lot quickly. I learned a tremendous amount about observability, technical discovery, outbound prospecting, and how modern engineering organizations operate. The company has also gives reps exposure to large accounts and technical conversations early in their careers.

Cons

The ramp for newer AEs can feel steep, especially in a hgihly competitive outbound environment. Success often depends on timing, territory, pipeline momentum, and consistent coaching. There can also be a significant pressure tied to activity metrics and pipeline generations, which may be difficult for reps still developing confidence and process consistency.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All