Dolby Reviews

3.8

70% would recommend to a friend

(705 total reviews)
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Kevin J. Yeaman

73% approve of CEO

52% positive business outlook

Dolby has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 705 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Dolby employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Manufacturing industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

705 reviews
2.0
4 Aug 2015

Great Brand, but not so great strategy, or managers.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing brand to have on your resume of course. Potrero office (soon to remodel) is a cool building with amazing history and vibe. Some amazing products that could (do) change the world if they were marketed well. People would be asking for Dolby products in droves instead of 4K TVs.

Cons

The new building on Market is cool, but workspaces are cramped and there aren't any of the typical "tech corridor" perks in sight except for some light snacks. The company has undergone an overhaul of sorts and it's clear who has fresh ideas and who is dragging their feet. Every other Friday off is great, but not really 'off' - You need to work 9 hours every other day and then most people end up working part of the Friday Day off. Have found management to be stifling. There is an expectation of doing things "The Dolby Way" which is fine, but there's really no patience for interest or questions and no direction or documentation on what that Dolby way is... So watch out when you don't do it as expected. Was referred in, and then last-minute the position was changed to contract instead of FTE and had to go through management agency with a TON of paperwork and slow processes... 4-weeks in and the job suddenly appears re-posted. NO discussion or addressing from management, HR, or agency... poor taste and somewhat rude behavior. There's no experience in Experiential Marketing here... Lots of "shove this peg thru this hole - fast' mentality. Executions are not cohesive or thoughtful.

2.0
11 Jan 2016

Increasingly irrelevant

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Dolby's engineering organization is capable of novel & relevant technology (e.g. CES 2016), but fails horribly to bring the innovation directly to customers. Instead they misguidedly pursue standards committees (like it is 1985) & a licensing model that is increasingly outdated, especially when its partners are themselves struggling 2nd or 3rd tier technology companies, who themselves hope to ride the Dolby brand. Work life balance is decent and the 9/80 (every other Friday off) is excellent!

Cons

Dolby is a old engineering boy's club and tragically, there is a very real glass ceiling. The HR team are not employees and are generally not invested nor competent at retaining talent. This of course, hurts Dolby's chances to modernize and remain relevant. I'll be surprised if Dolby makes it to 2020 intact. Your kids certainly won't know the name Dolby.

1.0
29 Sept 2015

Abysmal treatment of technical women

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I loved the engineering team and admire the products. There are many wonderful employees at Dolby. If you're a male engineer at Dolby, please look around the room and think about your privileged status.

Cons

My manager created a hostile environment for technical women. It appears that management has a number of needy people who create dysfunctional situations. Values are only given lip service. I think that Dolby could be a great company if they would undergo a real and substantive cultural change.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 705 Reviews

Glassdoor has 887 Dolby reviews submitted anonymously by Dolby employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Dolby is right for you.