Pros: One of the most remarkable advantages of working at StubHub is the competitive compensation structure that includes both a strong base salary and equity in the form of RSUs. Many employees cite this as the primary reason they joined or stayed, as it’s considerably higher than what is typically offered in similarly sized tech companies. Beyond the base pay, the organization also provides robust healthcare plans, retirement benefits, and other perks such as commuter reimbursement and daily lunches in certain locations. Given the live events niche, you may also occasionally enjoy discounts or early access for concerts, sports, and theater shows. Another notable pro is the opportunity for significant impact in a relatively lean environment. Although StubHub is not exactly a startup, the teams often function without excessive bureaucracy, giving engineers, product managers, and other professionals the scope to drive meaningful change in their areas. There is real autonomy in decision-making for those who can demonstrate initiative and expertise. This kind of setup allows you to see how your work directly influences both revenue and user experience. For professionals who thrive on responsibility and creative problem-solving, the sense of ownership can be incredibly rewarding. In terms of professional development, there is room to grow your technical and leadership capabilities if you’re proactive. Many projects are novel and require fresh thinking, providing a playground for building complex distributed systems, analytics, and data-driven solutions. Additionally, you’ll find pockets of exceptionally talented coworkers who push you to expand your skills and knowledge. Learning from senior engineers or cross-functional partners can be invaluable, especially if you prefer a hands-on learning style. When the environment is supportive and you connect with the right mentors or peers, the growth opportunities can be immense. Another bright spot is the brand recognition. StubHub is a household name in the ticket resale industry, and working here can serve as a résumé booster, given the scale of the platform. Handling massive transaction volumes, ensuring system stability during peak sales, and tackling real-time data challenges can position you as a capable problem solver in high-visibility scenarios. Even if the environment is far from perfect, the ability to claim experience at a leading marketplace for live events can open doors in future opportunities, whether you want to stay in consumer tech, e-commerce, or pivot to something else. Finally, many employees appreciate the tangible connection to live events. Whether you’re a sports fanatic, a music lover, or a theater enthusiast, you’ll likely find satisfaction in supporting a platform that brings fans closer to their favorite teams and artists. It adds a layer of personal fulfillment for those who thrive on the excitement and communal aspect of real-world events. In some teams, you can directly see how your work impacts a fan’s experience—this can be quite meaningful and gratifying. Overall, if you can find or create a supportive micro-culture within your team, there’s a lot to love about working at StubHub.

Cons: Despite the high compensation, one of the biggest pain points at StubHub is the pervasive uncertainty around leadership and direction. Multiple organizational changes following the viagogo acquisition have left employees guessing about future roadmaps and priorities. Communication from executives can feel opaque, so teams are often left to scramble in response to sudden changes in direction. This lack of transparency breeds a sense of instability, making it hard for employees to trust in the company’s long-term vision. Many people express that decisions seem to be made behind closed doors, only to be abruptly broadcast to the organization with minimal explanation. Moreover, the culture has taken a turn that many describe as “hire-to-fire” or “Netflix-like.” A recurring complaint is that new hires can be let go for unclear reasons within months of joining, creating an environment of anxiety. This dynamic can discourage healthy risk-taking and experimentation, as nobody wants to attract negative attention by making even small mistakes. Fear and blame sometimes dominate the day-to-day interactions, overshadowing open collaboration and creative innovation. When a company positions its workforce to operate under the constant threat of termination, it becomes challenging to foster camaraderie, knowledge sharing, or genuine teamwork. Management, particularly from the viagogo side, is often described as lacking in both technical depth and empathy. There are reports of micromanagement, as well as a habit of shifting blame downward when targets are missed or issues arise. If you find yourself on a poorly resourced team, you may struggle to secure the necessary support or tools to succeed. The result is a chaotic environment in which deadlines are extremely aggressive, yet the direction for meeting those deadlines is often ambiguous. Employees who prefer a structured environment with clear guidelines and stable leadership may find this situation extremely frustrating. Additionally, the promise of an IPO is frequently cited as a reason to join, but there’s little clarity on if or when that will happen. Many employees feel that the potential upside of RSUs is overstated, especially as market conditions and economic uncertainties continue to shift timelines. The repeated mention of a looming IPO, with little concrete progress visible to the broader organization, has eroded trust. This scenario can leave many feeling that a substantial portion of their compensation is in limbo. If you’re banking on an imminent liquidity event to justify the equity portion of your package, proceed with caution. Finally, engineering and product teams often wrestle with legacy tech stacks and accumulated technical debt, which can impede meaningful innovation. The frantic push for rapid releases can lead to code that is neither well-documented nor properly tested, resulting in an ongoing cycle of firefighting. Combined with a lack of clear career progression paths or formal review processes, employees may feel stuck or unrecognized for their work. For those who prize consistent mentorship, stable leadership, and well-defined performance metrics, the current environment can be deeply disappointing. In a nutshell, while the pay is enticing, the day-to-day challenges often overshadow the potential rewards.

Pros: Moved fast and had opportunities to work on different parts of the stack.

Cons: The culture was somewhat toxic, and they laid people off every quarter up to the IPO.

Pros: The office is in the World Trade Center.

Cons: - Engineers are heavily monitored and pressured to complete 1-week sprints and churn out as much code as possible at the cost of code quality, documentation, and efficiency. - People seem to get fired from this company alarmingly often, and they treat their employees as disposable and temporary. The team is given little to no explanation when this happens and is expected to carry on as usual with fewer people. - No manager at this company can actually manage. The feedback culture here is to only deliver negative feedback and find the smallest excuse to belittle employees, with no plan or next steps for improvement. Any career conversation reaches a dead end because the level requirements are unclear. Literally none of the managers can do their jobs, and they use 1:1 time to belittle and antagonize employees instead of working with them to grow their career. - The ex-viagogo people who hold senior leadership positions are very protective of their archaic engineering practices. They hire individual contributors with loads of experience but refuse to listen to ways to change the codebase for the better. - The expectation on the engineers to complete one-week sprints in addition to brainstorming and experiment analysis on a weekly basis is insane. So many engineers work late hours and experience burnout, yet this has become the expectation rather than the exception. Engineers have taken to managing themselves since the managers can't do their jobs.