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An OK employer marred by poor upper and direct management

Senior Software Engineer
Former Employee
Worked at Block for 1 year
March 10, 2020
San Francisco, California
3.0
RecommendsNeutral OutlookDoesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

You do get to work on a relatively modern tech stack with competent peers. You may also learn several marketable skills.

Other things to point out:

  • Few people work late, though you are implicitly expected to be in early.
  • Food is good.
Cons

Bad managers seem to be a relatively common complaint among IC employees I talked to. I reported to a micromanager and didn't get the impression I could do much about it without burning bridges.

Jack (CEO) seems to be phoning-in anything not related to BTC. Several of the VPs are very risk-averse, and there is no real vision for the future other than a very vague "grow" directive. The company is complacent about its market position, and I don't expect it to keep growing.

Other things to point out:

  • Complacent business strategy leads to boring work.
  • The SF office is very loud due to poor acoustics and tight desk layouts.
  • WFH is generally discouraged.
  • Stock appreciation is considered during comp review. Refreshers/raises are poor in general, and there will almost certainly be a big 4-year cliff now that the stock is stagnant.
  • Useless cost-saving measures (like reduced food service) are creeping in.
Advice to Management

Get a CEO who actually cares about the company's day-to-day and be more aggressive in expanding. Other companies are eating Square's lunch.

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