Company with harassment-enabling culture, little engineering talent and no direction - Software Engineer Turnitin Employee Review

2.0
16 Oct 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Free drinks and awesome view. One engineering team, the original team who made Turnitin what it is, has a lot of smart people. They are literally keeping the lights on.

Cons

Joined as new grad engineer and had a great manager. Unfortunately, that was the only highlight of my experience. The company culture allows harassment without any repercussions. I experienced it and reported it and nothing ever happened, so the harassment kept up. I finally called it quits and looked for a new job. I am not the first to leave because of harassment and will not be the last, The company doesn't do much technical interviews at the more senior level for engineers, which caused multiple bad hires that seriously affected morale and the direction of the business. The business itself has a lot of potential, but bad hires and nepotism led to only one team (tribe) that has actual engineers. All the other teams / tribes in the company have combined maybe 2-3 good engineers, the rest are code-artisans who look up Google and force things like Scala, Kotlin and other new-fangled buzzwords in the tech stack without actually knowing how to apply them correctly, which caused a lot of headaches. I don't see the ship turning around with the continued nepotism and lack of engineering talent. The business stemmed from Berkeley grads who have all left and the executives are currently throwing stuff at the wall and hoping that something sticks. I don't see this company being profitable for more than 3-4 years.

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Turnitin Response
8y
Thank you for taking the time to write about your time at Turnitin. I am extremely sorry this was your experience. We have zero tolerance for harassment of any kind. In checking through our HR files and notes, we found one instance of someone alleging harassment due to his ideas being challenged, but the person who made the allegation refused to discuss it with us in HR and then resigned. In our investigation without feedback from the accuser, we found we could not substantiate the claim. I realize you have already left, but I would welcome a conversation about your situation so we can address it directly. This is extremely important to us - any insight or information you could share would be welcomed. On a hopefully more positive note, we have instituted new technical measures in our recruiting process that will help direct the right people to the right roles. Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Explore other reviews about Turnitin

5.0
19 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing people and culture! Everyone has been so supportive and welcoming!

Cons

I don't have any cons.

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Turnitin Response
1mo
We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience at Turnitin. It’s wonderful to hear that you’ve felt supported and welcomed by the people around you. Creating a collaborative, inclusive culture where employees can thrive and unleash their potential to positively impact global education is incredibly important to us. Thank you for being part of the team and for the kind feedback.
2.0
3 Mar 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Turnitin’s mission is meaningful, and many employees genuinely care about supporting educators and students. There are thoughtful, hardworking colleagues across teams, and the remote flexibility is a plus. The products are strong and well-known in the edtech space. Pros: •Mission-driven work •Dedicated colleagues, most are really great •Remote flexibility

Cons

Cons: •Below-market compensation (especially in high-cost areas) •Constant, ongoing structural challenges •Raises lag inflation •Limited growth opportunities •Executive messaging feels disconnected from reality •Under-resourced teams •Organizational silos

2
avatar
Turnitin Response
1mo
Thank you for taking time out to share your experience at Turnitin, We’re pleased to hear our mission, products, and colleagues stood out. Our focus on helping employees unleash their potential to positively impact global education is central to who we are and the work we do. As we continue to grow, we’re evolving how we support our teams with initiatives like strengthening career development, improving organizational alignment, and ensuring our compensation practices remain competitive across regions. We appreciate your feedback, it helps us continue building a stronger, more consistent experience for our employees globally.
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