What's It Really Like to Work at KnowBe4 in 2025?
Explore our deep dive into working at KnowBe4. We analyze their culture, compensation, fully-paid benefits, and career growth after their 2023 acquisition.
Working at KnowBe4 is defined by a high-energy, fast-paced culture that has consistently earned it 'best place to work' awards. Employees benefit from an exceptional package, including fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for themselves and their families, a 401(k) match, and unlimited PTO. The environment is often described as fun and team-oriented, with frequent company events, but sales roles in particular can be high-pressure. Since its acquisition by Vista Equity Partners in 2023, prospective employees should be aware of potential shifts toward a more metrics-driven corporate structure.
- Founded
- 2010
- HQ
- Clearwater, Florida
- CEO
- Stu Sjouwerman
- Employees
- 1700+
- Industry
- Cybersecurity, Security Awareness Training, SaaS
- Ownership
- Private
- KnowBe4 offers 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employees and their families.
- The company was acquired by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners for $4.6 billion in February 2023, transitioning it from a public to a private company.
- Employee reviews frequently praise the fun, high-energy culture but also cite high-pressure sales targets and potential burnout as significant cons.
- KnowBe4 offers unlimited PTO, a 401(k) with a 6% company match, and 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
- The company's headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, is known for its extensive amenities, including a gym, game rooms, and catered lunches.
Working at KnowBe4 is defined by a high-energy, fast-paced culture that has consistently earned it 'best place to work' awards. Employees benefit from an exceptional package, including fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for themselves and their families, a 401(k) match, and unlimited PTO. The environment is often described as fun and team-oriented, with frequent company events, but sales roles in particular can be high-pressure. Since its acquisition by Vista Equity Partners in 2023, prospective employees should be aware of potential shifts toward a more metrics-driven corporate structure.
What is it actually like to work at KnowBe4?
KnowBe4 has built a strong reputation for a vibrant and employee-centric workplace. The company culture is frequently described by employees as "fun," "energetic," and "work-hard, play-hard." This identity is heavily promoted on their careers page and reinforced through numerous company-sponsored events, themed office days, and extensive office amenities, particularly at its Clearwater, Florida headquarters. These include an on-site gym, game rooms, a slide between floors, and the famous "KBeercart" for Friday celebrations.
This atmosphere is intentionally designed to foster a sense of community and make the fast-paced work environment more engaging. The company's core mission—enabling employees to make smarter security decisions through its training platform—is a point of pride and a unifying goal. However, the experience can vary significantly by department. Sales and business development roles are known for being particularly intense and metrics-driven, with high expectations for performance. While this creates significant opportunities for high-earners, it also contributes to employee feedback about pressure and burnout. The company has won numerous awards from outlets like Fortune and the Tampa Bay Times for its workplace environment, validating its efforts to create a desirable place to work.
Source: KnowBe4 Careers Source: Tampa Bay Times Top Workplaces 2023
How does KnowBe4 pay compare?
KnowBe4's compensation is generally considered competitive, especially when factoring in its comprehensive benefits package. Base salaries for technical and corporate roles tend to be at or slightly above the national average for the tech industry. For instance, based on self-reported data, a Software Engineer at KnowBe4 can expect a base salary around $125,000, compared to a national average of about $110,000.
For sales-focused roles, such as Sales Development Representative (SDR) or Account Manager, a significant portion of total compensation comes from commissions and bonuses. This pay structure creates high earning potential for top performers but also introduces variability and pressure to meet quotas. Employee reviews often reflect this duality, with many praising the earning potential while others caution about the stress of a quota-driven environment. The company also states that it offers an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), though the specifics of this plan may have changed following its transition to a private company in 2023.
Source: Glassdoor Salary Data for KnowBe4
What benefits and time-off does KnowBe4 offer?
This is an area where KnowBe4 stands out significantly from many competitors. The company offers a top-tier benefits package highlighted by 100% employer-paid premiums for medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their eligible dependents. This is an exceptionally rare and valuable benefit that saves employees thousands of dollars per year in paycheck deductions.
Other key benefits and perks include:
- Retirement Savings: A 401(k) plan with a generous company match of up to 6% of employee contributions.
- Time Off: An unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) policy for salaried employees. While a popular perk, candidates should inquire about average usage and team norms to ensure a healthy work-life balance is achievable.
- Parental Leave: 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave for primary caregivers.
- Wellness: A wellness reimbursement program and access to mental health resources through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Office Perks (HQ): Employees at the Clearwater headquarters enjoy perks like free catered lunches, an on-site gym with fitness classes, and a coffee bar.
- Professional Development: A budget for professional development, certifications, and educational opportunities.
This robust package is a core component of KnowBe4's strategy to attract and retain top talent and is consistently cited as one of the best reasons to work for the company.
Culture, leadership, and DEI at KnowBe4
The culture at KnowBe4 is a direct reflection of its founder and CEO, Stu Sjouwerman, who has fostered an environment of transparency, fun, and radical ownership. Three core tenets—do it right the first time, do it fast, and have fun while you do it—guide the company's operations. Leadership is generally reviewed positively, with praise for being accessible and transparent. The company holds regular 'Town Hall' meetings where employees can ask questions directly to the executive team.
KnowBe4 has formalized its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The company has several Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including Women in Tech, Black Employees @ KnowBe4, Pride, and Veterans @ KnowBe4. These groups aim to foster an inclusive environment and provide community and support for employees from various backgrounds. The company publicly states its commitment to pay equity and diverse hiring practices as part of its cultural foundation.
The 'fun' aspect of the culture is a major selling point, but it's important to note that this is layered on top of a demanding, high-performance environment. The company's success is built on rapid growth and aggressive sales goals, and employees are expected to contribute at a high level.
Source: KnowBe4 About Us Source: KnowBe4 DEI Initiatives
The hiring and interview process at KnowBe4
Based on candidate reports, the hiring process at KnowBe4 is typically thorough and multi-staged, designed to assess both technical skills and cultural alignment. The process generally follows these steps:
- Initial Application & Recruiter Screen: A standard online application followed by a 30-minute phone call with a recruiter to discuss your background, interest in the role, and salary expectations.
- Hiring Manager Interview: A video or in-person interview with the manager of the team you're applying to join. This conversation delves deeper into your specific experience and how it relates to the role's responsibilities.
- Panel or Technical Interview: For technical roles, this often involves a skills assessment, a take-home project, or a live coding session. For other roles, it may be a panel interview with several team members to assess collaborative skills and problem-solving abilities.
- Final Interview: Often conducted with a department head or senior leader, this stage focuses on higher-level thinking, strategic alignment, and ensuring a strong cultural fit.
Candidates frequently mention that interviewers are looking for passion, drive, and a personality that fits the energetic and team-oriented culture. Questions about how you handle fast-paced environments, how you collaborate, and why you are interested in cybersecurity are common. The entire process from application to offer can take between two to five weeks.
Source: Glassdoor Interview Reviews for KnowBe4
Career growth and learning at KnowBe4
As a company whose entire business is built on training and education, KnowBe4 places a strong emphasis on professional development for its own employees. The company encourages internal mobility and provides resources for employees to grow their skills. This includes a dedicated budget for professional development that can be used for certifications, conferences, and other educational pursuits.
Employees are given free access to KnowBe4's own extensive library of security awareness and professional development training modules. For those new to the cybersecurity industry, working at KnowBe4 provides an immersive learning experience and a path into a high-growth sector. The rapid growth of the company has historically created many opportunities for advancement, with many employees moving into senior or leadership roles. As the company matures under new ownership, a key question for candidates is how these internal growth tracks will evolve and become more structured.
Risks, criticisms, and what to watch
No workplace is perfect, and prospective employees should consider the potential downsides. The most common criticisms found in employee reviews relate to work-life balance and pressure, particularly in sales. The 'work-hard, play-hard' culture can, for some, tilt too far into 'work-hard,' leading to burnout. The unlimited PTO policy, while generous on paper, can sometimes result in employees taking less time off than they would with a traditional accrued system due to workload and cultural pressure.
The most significant factor for candidates to watch is the impact of the February 2023 acquisition by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners. PE ownership often brings a sharpened focus on operational efficiency, profitability, and metrics. While this can streamline processes, it can also lead to cultural shifts, changes in benefit structures over time, and a more buttoned-up corporate environment. The vibrant, founder-led 'fun' culture that defined KnowBe4 for its first decade may evolve under this new ownership structure. Candidates should ask pointed questions during the interview process about how the acquisition has impacted the company's culture and day-to-day operations.
Source: Reuters - Vista Equity completes $4.6 bln deal for KnowBe4 Source: Glassdoor Employee Reviews
Most Loved Workplaces® context
While KnowBe4 is a certified Most Loved Workplace®, what does that mean in a broader context? Best Practice Institute's research across our network of 1,800 certified companies and 2.8 million employees shows that loved workplaces share common traits. They are built on the SPARK framework: Systemic Collaboration, a Positive Vision of the Future, Alignment of Values, Respect, and Kindness. This foundation yields tangible results: employees in these environments show deep commitment, with 92% of employees at Most Loved Workplaces® applying for roles when openings arise. These companies see 48% higher employee retention and achieve 4× higher revenue growth at top-tier Most Loved Workplaces® vs. industry peers.
How we researched this report
Best Practice Institute Editorial Staff. Our Methodology
Sources
- KnowBe4 Careers — KnowBe4
- Tampa Bay Times Top Workplaces 2023 — Tampa Bay Times
- Glassdoor Salary Data for KnowBe4 — Glassdoor
- KnowBe4 Benefits — KnowBe4
- KnowBe4 About Us — KnowBe4
- KnowBe4 DEI Initiatives — KnowBe4
- Glassdoor Interview Reviews for KnowBe4 — Glassdoor
- Reuters - Vista Equity completes $4.6 bln deal for KnowBe4 — Reuters
- Glassdoor Employee Reviews — Glassdoor
- Our Methodology — Best Practice Institute
- Stu Sjouwerman — Best Practice Institute
Quick answers
Researched and edited by Best Practice Institute Editorial Staff. See our methodology.