A team this powerful is just wasted effort with management this incompetent. - Anonymous employee Joby Aviation Employee Review

3.0
23 May 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fabulous coworkers, literally the smartest people I've worked beside. Crazy dedicated, tons of people who believe they're changing the world, who am I to say they're not. Food is amazing, dogs at work is amazing, and you'll never ever ever ever ever ever be bored.

Cons

Outrageous disconnect between leadership and the engineers on the ground. There's no rhyme or reason to decision-making outside of what will make Toyota or other investors happy, OR whatever is needed to prop up the stock whenever some other player makes a move. Tons of time and effort spent working on approaches that were shown to be no good months previously, and the boomerang of revisiting work to correct the shortcuts taken before is endless. It's a merry go round of effort lacking direction, and the burnout is SO real. I can't recommend this job in good conscience, not for the money they pay. Oh and your raise will only be in RSUs that you won't sell because it's worth nothing until anything is certified.... which needs a miracle to happen on time.

Explore other reviews about Joby Aviation

5.0
17 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazingly talented team. Good leadership led by a true engineer CEO. Base salaries are not the highest in this space, but equity packages and associated liquidity make up for it. Decent benefits overall. Free meals are delicious and healthy.

Cons

Some growing pains evident as they transform from a small startup building prototypes to a large aerospace company building certified products at scale. Some dysfunction in the organization; some teams are not well-managed and/or understaffed. Occasional tension between cadres from different backgrounds, e.g. silicon valley, electric vehicles, and legacy aerospace. Leadership priorities sometimes shift unexpectedly, leading to churn and overly-aggressive schedules. Work-life balance can be a challenge at times.

1
5.0
3 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun place to be as an engineer. The company philosophy is to be highly vertically integrated across the full stack of technologies necessary to build and operate electric aircraft. This results in an environment where you are surrounded by the tools and technical expertise to build pretty much anything. The company mission is motivating. There is a steady stream of highly interesting projects to work on. The company culture is very open and friendly. 3 free meals per day, with most people eating together at communal tables.

Cons

Management frequently sets highly unrealistic schedules and goals, to the point that no front-line worker has any faith in the timelines. No one is motivated to reach and achieve a deadline that is impossible with the resources given. Space is at a premium in San Carlos. Everyone is crammed into the building like sardines. Few windows.

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