Pros: I have to say that DocuSign is a place where you can "coast." If you aren't bothered by having to follow painful and inefficient SDLC processes, this is the place for you. Perhaps with the stock hitting a big dip, this may be a good time to join. So, if you want to "do the work of your lifetime" (namely, work 4-5 hours a day and be stifled by an outdated tech stack and ridiculous processes) and have decent compensation, then this may be the right opportunity for you.

Cons: Other 1-star reviews have already noted the criticisms around DS' tech stack, processes, and general cultural downturn. I would like to add that one of the main fundamental problems I found in DS engineering is that you are rewarded for "following rules." Meaning, how well you follow an inefficient and ineffective process rather is more valued than innovating to make it better for others. Because this type of mentality is rewarded, DS then hires a lot of "expert beginners" – engineers who are just really good at following rules and doing what they are told. As a result, almost any mid-level to senior engineer is really just an "expert beginner" rather than the industry standard of having a principal/staff/tech lead that ideally should be solving problems across the entire org rather than being an expert in their own silo. In general, change is something that isn't really embraced, and you get labeled as an underperformer if you try to suggest otherwise. I think it goes to show the type of culture at DS. In my experience, I found that people who "follow rules" really well also get away with being jerks. I think in the past many of these issues were overshadowed by a booming stock price, but now that it has taken a dive, I wonder if these things would ever be addressed. My guess is most likely not, anyways.

Pros: DocuSign is very empathetic and provides employees with work-life balance emphasis. Releases are also very slow, so there isn't much stress in trying to deliver in a timely manner. DocuSign engineering is also very political, so it is also very easy to dodge work by playing politics. It's a great place if you are looking for a 10-5 job, don't care about technical growth, and want to make a career out of politicking with other B-player engineers and managers. The stock is also doing well, so you can expect something cushy if you do end up working there.

Cons: As I read through the 5-star reviews from engineering, I can't think of how DocuSign can seriously be a 5-star place from an engineering perspective. The tech stack is severely outdated, and everything is monolithic. All the main services have different release cadences, which makes it a nightmare to release new features and bug patches in a timely manner. There is also a very silly "change request" form and a "release form" that need to be filled out and, ironically, are done through the DocuSign product that gate the release process. I found this to be very ineffective, as these forms usually took a long time to be approved and didn't stop the number of fires and rollbacks on a frequent basis. As another reviewer also mentioned, DocuSign believes in reinventing the wheel when it comes to tooling. Everything from deployment tools, monitoring, test automation, feature flagging, and other infrastructure was done through poorly written homegrown tools. It's a joke how any engineer can grow their technical skills here. Personally speaking, I spent more time politicking in meetings than coding, which is why I regret having been at DocuSign for so long. DocuSign engineering also has a culture of blame. Instead of solving problems together, people have this bunker mentality to blame other teams or individuals for fires rather than actually work together to prevent these things from happening. It goes to show how silly this place is. I recommend only coming here if you are looking for work-life balance above everything else. If you want to do your engineering career a favor, look elsewhere.

Pros: Genuinely collaborative engineering environment. Managers understand and encourage work/life balance.

Cons: Compensation was poorly managed for a long time. Management is working on righting the ship, but it'll take a while.