Overall good, but bad things happen - Senior Engineering Manager Canva Employee Review

3.0
Jul 28, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

• Inspiring Mission & Impactful Work: Canva’s mission to empower the world to design is more than a tagline—it genuinely drives prioritisation, culture, and decision-making. As a leader in the Video team, I’ve seen firsthand how user impact is always a central concern. • High Talent Density: The bar for hiring is high, and it shows. I work with smart, passionate, and kind people who challenge the status quo and care deeply about craft, whether it’s engineering, product, or design.

Cons

• High Context Overhead: With fast-paced change and multiple overlapping streams, onboarding or shifting domains can feel overwhelming. It’s getting better, but shared documentation and tooling still have room for improvement. • Ambiguity in Cross-Team Collaboration: Navigating review processes or ownership boundaries across large product surfaces (like the video editor) can be tricky. Requires proactive communication and stakeholder alignment to move fast. • Not Ideal for Passive Contributors: Canva thrives on initiative. If you’re looking for clearly defined work handed to you every sprint, this may not be the place. Leadership is expected at all levels.

Explore other reviews about Canva

5.0
Apr 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Fast pace - Interesting tech - Fun product to work on - Great culture & values

Cons

- Crunch periods can be full on

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”.

5
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