Pragmatic Leadership Driving Engineering Discipline - Senior Director, Engineering Sequoia Employee Review

5.0
22 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The Director of Engineering stands out for bringing structure and operational rigor into a fast-moving environment. There’s a strong emphasis on solving the right problems rather than just moving fast, which has gradually improved engineering quality and reduced firefighting. One of the most impactful changes has been the push toward clearer ownership across teams—engineers now have more defined accountability, which has improved both delivery and decision-making speed. There’s also a conscious effort to bridge the gap between engineering and business priorities, helping teams understand why certain trade-offs are made. The leadership approach is thoughtful and measured, especially during periods of change. Instead of reactive decisions, there is a noticeable attempt to build systems and processes that scale—whether in hiring, architecture, or cross-team collaboration. New joiners and early-career engineers benefit from this structured environment, which provides a good foundation to grow.

Cons

While the push for structure is helpful, it can sometimes slow down execution in situations where speed is critical. Teams occasionally feel the weight of process, especially when priorities are shifting in parallel. Additionally, communication can be more proactive during periods of ambiguity—teams sometimes infer direction rather than receiving explicit guidance.

Explore other reviews about Sequoia

5.0
15 Apr 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Caring, like minded people who make work not seem like work

Cons

Cant think of any at the moment

2
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Sequoia Response
3w
Thank you for sharing! We love to hear from our current team members.
2.0
8 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are some truly amazing folks that work at Sequoia. They work really hard and many truly care about the work they are doing. Even when things get out of hand, the teams band together to help each other through whatever new debacle comes their way. And there is always a new debacle. Pay is higher than most…

Cons

Layoffs at random with no warning and little to no communication to those directly affected by it. If you’re a manager or above, you’ve received middle of the night unhinged emails that make for an anxiety inducing day/week/month ahead. In 6 years I had 8 managers for 3 roles (2 were within the same team)…If a manager tries to reign in crazy expectations or pivots so they don’t derail an entire team, they tend to disappear. Pay is higher than most but not enough for what is expected emotionally and physically.

5
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