Everyone who’s been at Datadog for a while will tell you the same thing: the company has completely lost its startup energy and any sense of personal touch. It’s become bureaucratic, impersonal, and is currently run by the most dysfunctional HR team I’ve ever encountered.
When I left, Datadog withheld a bonus payment that had been explicitly confirmed by my manager, team director, and HR before my departure. I was encouraged to continue pushing hard under the promise that my bonus would be paid based on the work already completed. Once I left, I was ignored for months - and then finally sent a screenshot of fine print in my contract stating that bonuses are only paid if you’re still employed at the time of disbursement (conveniently, this is always halfway through the following quarter).
It was a calculated, bad-faith move to extract value until the very last moment, with no intention of holding up their end (or utter incompetence with no accountability). I’m genuinely disgusted by the experience - both the incompetence and the lack of integrity. Avoid if you can.
