Very stable, sometimes to a fault. - Software Developer II Esri Employee Review

4.0
14 Apr 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Esri has never had any layoffs or taken on substantial debt, and as long as you don't rock the boat you can expect to work there as long as you please. People regularly work there for decades. Compared to the rest of the tech industry, I found this very comforting. If had a family, I would probably have valued the stability more. My managers and coworkers were all super nice. This is a nice place to work. Not being a public company has its advantages. Esri doesn't seek to maximize profit, they aim for slow and sustainable growth. Way less of a "move fast and break things" attitude than your average tech company. Salaried workers get paid for their time over 40 hours / week! This is called the "time bank", and it's the #1 best perk. In Portland, there is no expectation to work over 40 hours a week, but that isn't the case in Redlands.

Cons

Stability also means stagnation. The fact that they're (nearly) a monopoly in the GIS space means that they're more concerned with grooming their current clients rather than breaking new ground, at least in my experience. My work was fairly stagnant and boring within the organization. There is plenty of opportunity for advancement internally, but I found it easier to just leave and join a different company. The Portland office is extremely homogeneous. Efforts to diversify the workplace are lackluster, and the hiring manager I spoke to about it did not inspire confidence. No referral hiring bonuses. Salary is a bit below what you could be getting elsewhere. It's a pretty conservative company, in many senses of the word. For example, in the summer of 2020 it took way too long before leadership put out anything explicitly saying "Black Lives Matter", and even then the statement was pretty wishy-washy. I don't think it was followed up by any substantive actions. Esri makes software for police departments, the military, ICE, and border patrol. That's never going to change. There's a moral hazard to working there, depending on your politics.

Explore other reviews about Esri

5.0
17 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great people and very flexible working conditions

Cons

There are no negatives to this job

2.0
12 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Esri pays your health insurance. A few extra holidays that other companies may not offer.

Cons

-Below average pay for California. Already a struggle living out here due to cost of living. -Support services is a mess. We have to bend over backwards for customers always teetering on scope of support. Might as not even have those guidelines anymore if it's a constant battle for internal resources to back you. -Constant releases of software that breaks customer workflows. Too many bugs. Lack of QA. -Whats the point of middle management if all decisions have to come from higher ups that have no understanding of supports day by day. -Unwillingness to let senior employees work from home. And if you do work from home they hold it against you if you want to apply to an internal position. Almost like a thinly veiled threat. -Other teams feel the need to steam roll support sometimes, often leading to fragmented relationships. -Lastly there is way too much work and never enough people.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All