Top-down culture
Top-down culture
Great tech. Amazing talent. Decent perks.
Top-down (leader-driven) decision-making can be detrimental if many of the technical problems that are trying to be solved are only felt and experienced by engineers.
Invest in systems of communication that allow for bottom-up technical decision-making. Engineers know the full extent of tech debt and generally understand the barriers to scaling issues, etc.
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Acorns Interview Experiences
Software Engineer
I never spoke to an actual human. They used an AI chatbot to screen me. How anyone can take this seriously is beyond me. They asked me a bunch of generic questions, things like "What do you like about the company?" along with some tech questions. I h
Software Engineer
Good conversation. The interview literally simulates a pair programming session. Normally, I feel anxious during meetings, but in this case, I felt comfortable and relaxed to solve the proposed problem with no pressure.
Software Engineer
Phone screen, technical, and virtual on-site. Standard coding and architectural design problems. I can't write exact problems due to NDA, but the interview panel was very nice and thoughtful. They always asked if I needed time to grab a drink of wat
Software Engineer
United StatesSeptember 1, 2025I never spoke to an actual human. They used an AI chatbot to screen me. How anyone can take this seriously is beyond me. They asked me a bunch of generic questions, things like "What do you like about the company?" along with some tech questions. I h
Software Engineer
New York, New York, United StatesMarch 24, 2025Good conversation. The interview literally simulates a pair programming session. Normally, I feel anxious during meetings, but in this case, I felt comfortable and relaxed to solve the proposed problem with no pressure.
Software Engineer
United StatesJanuary 22, 2024Phone screen, technical, and virtual on-site. Standard coding and architectural design problems. I can't write exact problems due to NDA, but the interview panel was very nice and thoughtful. They always asked if I needed time to grab a drink of wat
