Everything. If I could rate less than 1/5, I would.
Awful place. Constant mistreatment, bullying, pain from lies you are hearing all day long. Staff turnover is high - obviously Adobe won't tell you this, they are very good at presenting the Corporate American dream (read nightmare). Do not join, it will kill your soul.
Starting a new job should be exciting, filled with hope and ambition. That’s how I felt when I started at Adobe. But what unfolded over time shattered me in ways you hear and read about, but could not imagine what it would be like until it happens to you.
The excitement I brought to this job was quickly replaced by dread, feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. Supervisors in other teams were managed out, I had 4 managers in the timespan of 1 year. My last manager finally targeted me, and it became clear over time that they had decided that I wasn’t someone they wanted on the team. Covert bullying, withholding information, increased micro managing, gaslighting, all with the intention to make me start questioning my value and expertise - actions that slowly eat away at your confidence and sanity. Excluding me from important conversations, sabotaging my work behind closed doors, taking credit for my work.
It was continuous chaos between departments. Systems and platforms essential to do your job never function and are always on a year-long trajectory to get working, preventing you from being able to actually do your job. Management then berate you for not delivering. A constant cycle of confusion, stress, and fear of missing targets.
The team and department were chaos, fronted by managers presenting themselves as motivational speakers whilst not actually doing anything constructive to lead the changes they insist their teams must make happen. Big, empty words combined with a culture of ego driven fearmongering.
I wasn’t alone in this experience. People in other teams were subjected to similar treatments, often deciding to leave the company because they simply couldn’t cope.
No accountability in management, it's all about favouritism and office politics. You as an individual contributor are held accountable for the failures of middle and senior management.
By the time I left the company, I felt utterly drained and destroyed. A piece of my soul had been taken. I came in full of energy and positivity, only to be worn down by a system that allowed toxicity to thrive unchecked.
If you value your self-worth, know that you are more than equipped to do a great job, and possess integrity, do yourself a big favour and avoid working at and for this organisation. Your future self will thank you for it.
