Artsy Reviews

Pros

In general, I enjoyed my colleagues, the org’s mission, and the day-to-day work

Cons

Abusive, lost, and flailing leadership. The company is headed towards oblivion due to a complete lack of vision, self-awareness and accountability of executives and mid-level management. Working at Artsy was one of the most depressing, frustrating, borderline traumatic experiences of my career. There was a point in time when Artsy had so much potential—that point is long past. No one in there right mind would join Artsy today.

Pros

Artsy was a fantastic place to work when I first began in 2018. Great team culture, room for growth, and exciting plans in the pipeline for the company. Growth was not always on par with goals, but progress was being made regardless. Additionally, employee perks, like snacks, offsite and the like were fantastic.

Cons

Within one year of working at Artsy, things deteriorated more rapidly than I've ever seen. Management took a turn for the worst, along with multiple rounds of layoffs. Shady business practices took hold on my team, and the sales team essentially had a 100% turnover rate. Finally, nearly the entire leadership team, including the two founders of the company, stepped down. Artsy is a company in rapid decline, and although it was a cool place to work - stay away...

Pros

When I first joined, I felt that Artsy had a great mission to change the art world.

Cons

With new changes in leadership, I think Artsy is trying to be the next Christie's which drives away from its mission to democratize art. The company seems to only care about driving sales, and I'm disappointed on a daily basis. Some leadership members also doesn't seem to care about their employees and how burnt out they are.

Pros

Some of the best peers you'll have at work. Everyone below a Senior Director level is A+ Art x Technology is cool

Cons

Company fell off a cliff after years of turmoil and leadership change. No cross-team alignment even within the same department Bureaucracy is rampant No new innovation happening Culture is dead Compensation is sketchy at best Went from the amazing goal of revolutionizing/democratizing the art world to basically making a high value Etsy instead

Pros

You get to work with some really talented people who are passionate about the art world. (However, most of those people left... the company is now run by a bunch of corporate hypocrites who know nothing about art)

Cons

no work-life balance no job security clear favoritism within the org comp significantly below industry average

Pros

Artsy has a passionate, hard-working team and a mission that everyone rallies around. The work culture was amazing when I first began. The HQ is stunning. The CEO was inspiring. It seemed like the perfect gem of a company. It proved too good to be true.

Cons

Many of the leaders and long-time employees have left in the past year. They saw the writing on the wall. The new CEO is extremely corporate and laser-focused on the marketplace, at the expense of other teams and the culture that was so prized. I hope it works out, but it's not the same company that it was even a year ago, and unrecognizable to those who've worked there longer. If you are looking for stability, now is probably not a good time to join. Recent layoffs and restructuring portend future layoffs. Look to WeWork for the some of the same issues.

Pros

Some really intelligent and kind people work at the company. Commendable mission and vision. And let’s be honest—the snacks.

Cons

There was very little respect when it came to work-life balance. I was paid less than my worth and then expected to work around the clock. It’s very easy to burnout here, and it and seemed to be a theme at Artsy.

Pros

Compared to other companies in the art world, Artsy is hands down the best. Many talented and kind people work here, there's "unlimited" PTO, free snacks, and the views are brag-worthy. On paper Artsy is innovative (there's more of a priority on tech than anywhere else in the art world) and the mission is inspiring. The art world has moved online, and Artsy has led that change. There has been a concerted effort to hire people with real experience over the past two years, which is great. On top of that, the Office Experience team is earnestly trying to make the office space better.

Cons

Hoping to work at a fast-paced startup? Artsy is fast in all the wrong ways. Inexperienced leadership diverts resources inefficiently and fails to recognize talent unless it's under the umbrella of a pet project. The politics of this cult takes years off your life, preys on the idealistic with low pay, and still is trying to figure out how to grow into a profitable business. Expect a limited lifespan at Artsy, especially if you're looking for career growth or have no patience for petulant nonsense. Not only is communication completely siloed between teams, but advancement upwards remains a bit of a mystery. Managers are bosses on paper. They hold little sway when it comes to promotion or opportunities for career development. Compensation is opaque, yet somehow non-negotiable, putting managers in a difficult position with their reports. Our CEO once referred to "work life balance" as "work life integration," which means I don't even need to tell you that most employees don't take time off.