Don't be fooled - Anonymous employee Gusto Employee Review

1.0
19 Apr 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

1) High-growth environment where you can learn a lot. 2) You'll be working with smart people.

Cons

1) The company claims to be mission driven. They are delusional. Employees are treated like resources. They don't focus at all on the employer <> employee relationship internally (selling this vision can only happen successfully if you do it well internally). 2) Work/life balance is horrible. You will be slaving away. You will be expected to be in the office at 8pm. You will be expected to work on weekends. My manager would regularly schedule meetings in the late evening. 3) Compensation is way below market (both salary and equity). They claim that there should be a premium for working at Gusto. The interesting thing is that Google, Facebook, Slack, etc. (just to name a few) don't claim that. They pay well and offer a great work environment. 4) CEO makes decisions based on listening to a few confidants at the company. Decisions are made in a black box and the company is told lies at the company-wide meetings.

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Gusto Response
10y
We are truly sorry that you did not have a positive experience at Gusto. Our value of ownership mentality is intended to empower Gusties to own their schedule - especially when it comes to regular evening and weekend expectations. We encourage Gusties to talk with their individual PE about this, and if they aren’t comfortable, to connect with the People team, who can provide support through coaching on how to talk about this and/or speak with your PE directly about the team’s hours. With regards to compensation, as a startup grows, compensation evolves to adapt to the balance of incentives and company stage. Compensation updates were made recently across several functions to reflect the latest stage of growth, and we continue to monitor this closely. Being transparent is one of our core values. Our bi-monthly company-wide meetings are intended for all team members to get deep insight into the state of our business. From sharing our company financials to providing staff meeting summaries, we want you to know what is going on inside Gusto. If any of our employees ever have questions or want additional context,, we highly encourage them to meet with their PE, attend an AMA with Josh, ask any staff member, or reach out to our People team. We’re always happy to answer your individual questions.

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5.0
10 Jun 2026
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CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Smart and friendly coworkers. Excellent team culture

Cons

Tunnel visions on AI a bit too much

2.0
20 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The product is genuinely good, too bad the same can’t be said for how they treat the people who sell it.

Cons

Leadership talks a big game about people-first culture but the reality doesn’t match. The Chicago office expansion felt like a poorly thought-out experiment, new hires were brought on without a clear long-term commitment, and layoffs came without warning, leaving people blindsided. Crossing a billion dollars in revenue and still cutting employees sends a clear message about where workers rank on the priority list. Remote work flexibility is also a glaring weakness. For a company selling HR software to modern businesses, their internal stance on where employees can work is surprisingly rigid and hypocritical. The “flexibility” messaging is mostly optics. The broader concern is the AI roadmap. The automation push feels less like an innovation strategy and more like a slow wind-down of the workforce. Employees aren’t blind to it, it creates anxiety and erodes trust. The culture of transparency they promote externally is largely a facade internally.

9
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