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Amazing Mission but Lackluster Execution

Software Engineer
Former Employee
Worked at Block for 2 years
September 25, 2016
San Francisco, California
3.0
Doesn't RecommendNeutral OutlookDoesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

Square is a great place to work if you are a new-grad or just starting out in your career. There are a lot of great people to work with, and you can see a lot of interesting work.

  • Work with fantastic people at your peer level. You have made some great friends here.
  • The engineering culture is really good; no-ego problem-solving is mandatory across the company.
  • One of the few opportunities to build something that is impactful for everyday people trying to make an honest living. People are connected to the mission of helping the small business down the street.
  • A truly full-stack company. You can learn so much on the engineering side.
Cons
  • Design culture is awful. ICs are great, but their management structure is incredibly top-down and not iterative. They hamstring product teams and slow everything down.
  • Lack of focus everywhere. Constant reorgs and lots of abandoned projects make it hard to scale your team or your work.
  • Leadership provides no clear strategy. We are just doing lots of things, attacking lots of opportunities.
Advice to Management

Clean up the design culture. Simplify the mission, reduce the focus so that the products can get proper TLC.

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