Looks can be deceiving - Anonymous employee JetBrains Employee Review

The Amsterdam office has a very Russian culture, and that heavily influences how the workplace operates. Informal communication often takes place in a language other than the office's official working language, creating clear barriers for those outside that core group. It impacts inclusion, collaboration, and access to information. Expectations are extremely high. The standard is demanding, which in itself is fine, but support, recognition, and transparency do not match those expectations. You are expected to deliver at a very high level, yet feedback on growth or promotion is vague at best. Career progression lacks transparency. The promotion criteria are not clearly defined, and advancement does not always appear to be based solely on merit or performance. For employees outside the dominant internal network, growth can feel limited regardless of results. HR does not feel independent. Representation lacks diversity because they are all Russian, and raising concerns can feel uncomfortable when there is no clear sense of neutrality. JetBrains attracts strong technical talent, but the office culture in Amsterdam can feel exclusionary and opaque if you are not part of the core internal group. Greater transparency, clearer communication standards, and more inclusive leadership would make a significant difference