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Working at Uber has been like nothing I've ever experienced

Senior Software Engineer
Current Employee
Has worked at Uber for less than 1 year
December 6, 2014
San Francisco, California
5.0
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEO
Pros

I like to say working at Uber is great because of the four Ps.

P - Product P - People P - Process P - Problems

Product: Our product is something that I use every single day. I've worked at various companies in both the B2B and B2C sectors, and I've never cared about a product as much as I do Uber. Getting around a city (both where I live and where I travel) was always a pain before Uber. Now when I leave my house, I don't have to worry about how I'm going to get there because the answer is Uber.

People: The people that I work with are amazing. They come from all walks of life, and each person has a different background. People here have individually accomplished so much and have worked so many places in their past that there is always something to learn. Scaling AWS at Amazon, building the infrastructure of Yelp, and building Amazon's product in the early days are just a few of the amazing accomplishments that my co-workers have achieved.

Process: Get stuff done, and Uber will provide you the tools and resources to do that.

  • Need a vacation? Take one.
  • Need a light at your desk? Here's one.
  • Want to work across the country at one of our offices? Go.
  • Want to work from home in the mornings? Do it.

What matters is that you get stuff done.

Cons

Uber moves fast, and we have to because we live and work in an ever-changing world of regulation, culture, supply, demand, and so on.

Working at Uber isn't for everyone. Everyone at Uber is dedicated to the company, and each person does what it takes to make Uber a success.

Does that mean you work till midnight every night or on the weekends? Sometimes. Is that a weekly thing? No, it's rare, but it will happen.

Does that mean you'll get woken up at 3 AM to take care of a critical issue that's happening during the day across the world? Sometimes. Is that a daily thing? No, it's rare, but it will happen.

But to me, none of it matters because Uber is a company, product, and vision that I care about and am dedicated to.

Advice to Management

Show the world what we're like internally and how we're not like what the media portrays.

Don't let our internal culture of transparency across the business fade away as we get larger.

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Uber Interview Experiences