A different company - Software Engineer Canva Employee Review

5.0
May 26, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Before onboarding I had received lots of information from the website or from recruiter's emails talking about Canva's culture/values. I had been skeptical about it - are they really doing great work or just boasting about it all the time? Now I know that the company is really serious about its culture and values. It's empowering. As a newbie when I got up to speed I could work on key components, with massive help from my mentor, and even colleagues from other teams would spend time mentoring me when I asked. It developed such a culture that even though no one is pushing, people would come up with great initiatives, work on hardest problems and eventually, celebrate their accomplishments. When the pandemic struck, management made a decision to let us all work from home a couple of weeks before the government decided to lock down the country. This is courageous. I know there are some other business leaders supporting WFH publicly, but eager to get their employees back into office, because they're not confident about their employees' performance at home. Canva's people team put in great effort in caring for our mental/physical health while we're at home, inventing new ways to do team bonding, celebration, etc. I feel that I'm at least equally productive as in office. While we're working from home, the company didn't lay off any staff that might look redundant to a WFH setup, like kitchen staff, cleaners from 3rd party vendors, etc. It is such a nice, warm, caring and empowering culture, that kept us motivated, believing in what the founders believe, working with sweat and tears towards the company's goal.

Cons

I can't think of any for now.

Explore other reviews about Canva

5.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

⁠The work culture is amazing and highly collaborative. There are plenty of opportunities to learn new technologies, and the perks/benefits are excellent.⁠The work culture is amazing and highly collaborative. There are plenty of opportunities to learn new technologies, and the perks/benefits are excellent.⁠

Cons

The company is growing very fast, so internal processes and structure change frequently. Work-life balance can be tricky during big product launches.⁠

3.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Product is beloved by users. Brand affinity is second to none which makes being a marketer a lot of fun. Genuinely good and caring coworkers who want to build something great. Hiring bar is high. Vibe and Thrive benefit is clever and unique.

Cons

Behind the brand is a cult like culture with the “founders” surrounded by yes people (whether they are aware of it or not). Mediocrity seems to be tolerated among management’s “old guard” causing tension and churn with newer and sometimes more experienced leaders. Insecure leaders at some of the highest levels perpetuate much of the toxic behaviors described in the reviews below such as gaslighting and favoritism. People “disappear” with little to no explanation, but hey, it’s the “Canva way”.

6
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