Executives totally clueless and competing KPIs - Anonymous employee Refinery29 Employee Review

1.0
Jun 19, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

Young and fun company, lots of emphasis on individuality.

Cons

Executives don't know what they are doing, they don't stand up for the best decision just react to whatever the next big emergency/sale is. Goals are competing - one team has to optimize for X and the other team has to optimize for Y, which is completely antithetical to X. No advice or clarity as to which priority is more important, didn't seem to understand how this creates unnecessary friction.

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5.0
May 27, 2026
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Business Outlook

Pros

Great culture, extremely nice employees, diverse workplace

Cons

Not very cutting edge with their approach to tech

4.0
Mar 23, 2026
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

Refinery29 was training day, every day. The pace and creative expectations forced you to sharpen fast. I cut my teeth here over four years and came out a fundamentally better strategist. The work was culturally plugged in, the people were sharp, and you were trusted with real responsibility early. If you wanted to learn how brand, content, and audience intersect at speed, there was no better place.

Cons

The intensity that makes it a great training ground also means the environment runs hot. Not everyone thrives in that — and depending on your team, support structures varied. The company went through a lot of change during my time, which created some instability.

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