Good work for developers but bad managers - werkgeversreview Computer Scientist bij Adobe

- Awesome culture. I love going to work every day. People are really nice - exciting to be in the industry where a lot of innovation is happening - good work life balance - flexible RTO - two one-week shutdowns per year, unlimited PTO, global wellness days, great benefits

- Leadership lost its way. Missed huge opportunities in markets served by Canva and GenAI. Took the wrong bet on commercially safe models, missing out on huge opportunities that were captured by competing GenAI models. No clear strategy or vision from management about how to get back in track. Our products are losing market share every day and management seems to be lime deer in headlights, unsure what to do - Watching stock price deflating nearly every day is disheartening - Decision making is very slow. Takes ages to get things approved. - C-suite is mostly over 50 and often seem out of touch with latest AI and tech trends. Uphill battle sometimes to get them to see urgent opportunities that need to be acted on immediately - Adobe failed to organically develop major products in the last 20 years. Major recent ones; Firefly and Express; have not been successful.

**Supportive, collaborative culture** — Teams are generally kind, respectful, and willing to help. Cross‑functional partners treat contractors well, and communication is clear and professional. **Strong work‑life balance** — Workloads are manageable, expectations are reasonable, and leadership respects personal time. **Clear processes and documentation** — Adobe invests in structure, which makes it easier to ramp up and deliver consistently.

**Contractor limitations** — Contractors often don’t have access to the same tools, systems, or internal mobility opportunities as full‑time employees. **Uncertain path to full‑time roles** — Even when you perform well, conversion opportunities depend heavily on headcount and budget, not merit. **Benefits gap** — Contractors miss out on Adobe’s strong benefits package, which can make long‑term stability challenging. **Slower decision cycles** — As with many large companies, approvals and cross‑team alignment can take time. *Role boundaries can be rigid** — Because of the structured environment, there’s less room for contractors to expand scope or take on stretch projects.