Direction and Culture Shifting in Concerning Ways - Engineer II, Cybersecurity CarMax Employee Review

1.0
Feb 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Recognized national brand with strong market presence. Generally supportive and collaborative team environments at the peer level. Exposure to large-scale enterprise systems and complex operational environments.

Cons

Work demands frequently exceed available team capacity, creating sustained pressure without proportional compensation adjustments. Cybersecurity function appears to be losing direction and maturity, with leadership decisions raising concerns about strategic alignment, technical depth, and overall effectiveness. This has led to confusion around priorities and weakened confidence within the team. Multiple workforce reductions in recent years, including back-to-back rounds, have created instability and lowered overall confidence across teams. Career progression pathways lack clarity, and opportunities for advancement can feel limited despite internal messaging about growth. Leadership communication often emphasizes productivity and perseverance, while deeper structural challenges remain unresolved. Strategic direction can feel reactive and subject to change rather than guided by a consistent long-term plan. Employee fatigue is noticeable, and maintaining healthy boundaries between work and personal life has become increasingly difficult. Financial priorities appear focused heavily on cost containment, with less visible investment in talent development and retention. Hybrid expectations are determined at the departmental level and are trending toward increased in-office presence. Long working hours are common in several functions. There are concerns around favoritism in certain hiring decisions at senior levels, where personal relationships appear to influence selection. In some cases, this has resulted in leadership hires who lack the necessary expertise, creating additional strain and frustration for existing team members.

Explore other reviews about CarMax

5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing benefits with 6% 401k matching and tuition reimbursement.

Cons

Highly reliant on the quality of management at the store location.

1.0
May 31, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Remote work, first 2 weeks of the 2 month training, offers sick time before PTO rolls in

Cons

Little to no worklife balance, toxic positivity (like when they called the meeting about taking away our bonuses “exciting news” and tried to gaslight us as to why this was a good thing), extreme micromanagement, listening to our headsets constantly without us knowing, AI rating our metrics, unrealistic expectations, you basically do 4 jobs in one (at Carvana, appraisals / selling, financial applications and documents / EPUs, sales and customer service were ALL DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.

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