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Startup got acquired. eBay is a typical big company, ultra-slow to move and therefore stuck in the past

Software Engineer V
Current Employee
Has worked at eBay for less than 1 year
December 10, 2010
San Jose, California
1.0
Doesn't RecommendDoesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

The salary is acceptable. The campus is conveniently located. The benefits are adequate.

Generous combination of 401k matching, bonus, stock, and ESPP.

Cons

Parking is tight. Space in general is tight.

There is effectively no choice in health insurance, with Kaiser being the only HMO, and only one PPO and one CDHP plan.

Upper management is profoundly ignorant of its employees. Would you acquire a startup without at least talking to the most highly compensated workers in addition to the founders?

The HR/security/stock/accounting systems are disparate.

MS Exchange is the corporate email standard, with all the limitations that implies.

Several MILLION lines of Java are in the codebase, with no hope of changing.

The performance review process is from the '90s. Managers review their subordinates, full stop.

Bonus, stock, and ESPP are all on a protracted 7-14 month schedule, slow moving like everything else.

Advice to Management

Carve off autonomous business/operating units, starting with recent acquisitions. Combine services only where the economy of scale makes sense from both sides. Never forget that sellers are your real customers, since they pay the fees.

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