Very messy culture - Anonymous employee Zillow Employee Review

3.0
14 Aug 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Quality teammates within Marketing, more often than not. Pay and benefits are ok, but the company generally takes work/life balance pretty seriously. The working environment is pretty laid back.

Cons

The Marketing org has a very messy culture. Success and growth are more dependent on joining the right clique or warming up to the right leaders than on performance, and expectations are rarely communicated. You're generally rewarded for being a yes-man and punished for pointing out issues to make the work or environment stronger. The org is layered and top-heavy, with each mid- or senior-level manager trying to push their own dreams, plans, and ideas in order to prove their worth and justify their positions. The ICs are then left to support the core initiatives as well as the constant stream of pivots and pet-projects from leaders, while resources are regularly short or reallocated. I mentioned above that the work/life balance at Zillow is generally a strong point, but this only holds for those times when the org hasn't over-extended its promises and resources. In other cases, you will be expected to work evenings and weekends to move projects forward. Overall, working in the Marketing org felt like pledging a frat or sorority: get through the hazing and get into leaderships' inner circles, and you'll have an easy time. Otherwise this won't be a company where you can expect to develop your career.

Explore other reviews about Zillow

5.0
13 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great company to work for

Cons

Long hours with low pay

1
3.0
8 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You can make good money here.

Cons

In sales, job can change often. For example: I was making good money and excelling because I am a relationship Sales person. Then they changed it to where you get the sale, and instead of being able to grow that account via that relationship you just broke into, you have to pass it to an account manager and go back to cold/robo calling. You "book" of business you recive to prospect from is a lottery. I received a book of prospects/accounts that most of the were low income, or senior living properties. They don't have a budget and have a line of renter on a waitlist. No way to convince them to spend money on advertising but you still have the same quota.

2
avatar
Zillow Response
3w
Thank you for sharing such a detailed perspective. We understand that frequent changes to roles, account ownership and business priorities can have a real impact on relationship-building and the day-to-day experience in sales. We’re glad to hear compensation was a positive part of your time at Zillow, and we appreciate you being candid about where the model and structure felt frustrating. Feedback like yours helps us better understand how these changes are experienced across teams as the business evolves.
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All