Pros: Being a Software Engineer at Wealthfront offers huge amounts of autonomy. This is the first place I have worked where it feels like I am a valuable member of a team, rather than just working under the direction of a manager or according to some pre-defined release plan that I had no say in. The team is both welcoming and top class. It's clear that Wealthfront has a high bar for candidates, and this truly feels like a place to learn from the best. The work is highly challenging and even more interesting. Everything is fast-paced, but not in a stressful way. We are given time and freedom to explore options and technologies, and not penalized if an experiment doesn't pan out. The software engineering methodologies are exactly what you'd hope for: continuous integration and deployment, code reviews on all pull requests, and a heavy emphasis on testing. Among the offers I received, Wealthfront's was at the top, without even taking into account the numerous other benefits (e.g., a free Caltrain pass, stock options, a relocation bonus, fully stocked snacks/drinks, and free Starbucks, Peet's, Philz, and Yogurtland).

Cons: Given how quickly Wealthfront is hiring and expanding, there are a few minor issues with their onboarding process that could be ironed out to make new employees able to get up and running faster. The office is based in Palo Alto, so if you're in the city it can be a pain to commute, but the free Caltrain pass at least makes this a time issue rather than a financial one.

Pros: I was there during 2014 and left in early 2015. There was a lot of growth while I was there, and from what I understand there still is, which is exciting for a startup. The people are pretty talented and there are lots of interesting things to work on. I'd recommend it if you are looking to join a fast-paced and interesting startup. For software engineers, one interesting aspect of Wealthfront is that their front end is in Ruby on Rails, while their back end is in Java. In the job market, there are lots of software engineers who know primarily one or the other (e.g., learned mostly Java in college, or learned mostly Ruby and JavaScript at a coder academy). If you fall into one of these groups, it would be pretty beneficial for you to work at Wealthfront because you'll get to learn the other area that you don't know as well. They also have some R code.

Cons: There are a lot of regulations in finance, which means you may have to do some extra things you wouldn't otherwise do. But that's just the price any company has to pay to be in this space. If you want to really "move fast and break things," you'd be better off at Facebook. Wealthfront doesn't want to break things. That being said, they actually deploy pretty often, which you can see at their /engineering page. The regulation is just one thing you have to keep in mind, but it doesn't substantially slow down their rate of progress.

Pros: Freedom to work on various projects and tech stacks that lie in the cross-section of your interests and business needs. A metrics-oriented environment means that your data-driven decisions won't be overruled by arrogant management. Engineering, Product, Design, Research, and Management all work together to iterate on the product. Ideas can come from anywhere, and everyone is encouraged (and required) to contribute in that way. Overall, a great group of people who get along inside and outside the office. Our quick and constant growth has the whole office feeling upbeat day-to-day. Engineering things that rule: * No QA team (promoting individual responsibility) * Tests all day * Continuous deployment * Emphasis on automation

Cons: Processes that worked at a smaller scale are not quite as effective as they used to be. We are still learning how to navigate this growth (though we have many team members that have been through it before). Occasionally overwhelmed with interviewing candidates/meetings (though this is largely a function of how many projects you put yourself on). Recently got too much candy in the office; I can only resist it for so long. Most of these issues are caused by our rapid expansion and feel like signs of success, which is why I don't mind them too much. Also, we've changed our meeting structure twice since I've been here – both times the meetings became much shorter and more useful. We care about process, even if we are still figuring it out a bit.