How are the career development opportunities at AKUNA CAPITAL?

Very good work life balance Positive team culture, interesting quantitative coding problems. Good career progression

Less office perks vs. other trading firms.

The office vibe is top-notch — Super modern space, awesome city views, free lunches sometimes and snacks, and really well-organised social events. It’s a fun place to come to work every day. Great team culture (in your bubble) — The admin/ops team is small but close-knit and super helpful. Everyone’s happy to pitch in when needed.

Career growth is a bit of a dead end — If you’re in an admin role, there’s not much of a ladder to climb. The company invests a lot in traders and engineers, but not so much in support roles. Different worlds under one roof — Trading, tech, and admin teams don’t always mix much. It can feel a little siloed unless you make the effort to connect.

Lots of growth opportunities, excellent training, and real responsibility if you can handle it.

Little to no visibility from an upper level, underpaid compared to competitors.

In my five months at Akuna, I can confidently say this has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in quite some time. Coming from a large hedge fund/financial services firm, the contrast in culture is truly amazing. From day one, the onboarding process was clear, structured, and I felt fully supported by my manager and team. The culture at Akuna is exactly what you want in a workplace—one that motivates you to continuously strive for excellence. I also appreciate the transparency around career progression, which is something I feel many other firms fall short on. The level of management support and exposure to leadership really pushes you to perform at your best and is one of the many ways Akuna sets itself apart.

Akuna has high standards for its employees and demands excellence. The fast-paced environment can sometimes be overwhelming, but it’s what keeps you on your toes and challenges you to always be on your A-game. It’s not for everyone, but in just 5 months, I’ve learned more here than in the last few years at my previous employer. If you're looking to seriously grow and challenge your skillset, this is the place to be.

Opportunity to learn about high frequency trading industry, leading-edge HFT tech stack, comfortable office with full service coffee bar, kitchen, frequent catered meals.

Chaotic, unstable organization with very high levels of turnover, frequent layoffs and insensitive hiring/firing practices (even history of rescinding offers days before a new hire start date). Bonuses on low side compared to peers. Limited upside career growth potential. Myopic, clubby leadership team that doesn’t invest in developing its people, preferring to favor a handful of insiders who were amongst the firm’s original hires when it was a start-up. Many of these people are unqualified to be in the leadership roles they occupy (CTO and CEO). As noted in pros, Akuna’s tech stack is modern and leading-edge as you would expect at a tech-centric HFT firm. However, the 100’s of repos and revolving door of engineers has produced a bewilderingly complex and fragile platform with a heavy technical debt load. Lots of support hours required to fix code other people wrote who are long gone. Not fun! Hiring strategy is centered on recruiting large number of smart interns and graduates from top schools, most of whom need sponsorship, work them hard, pay them modestly and then repeat when most of those people leave to make more money elsewhere in 1-3 years. Beware of joining as an experienced hire / senior engineer / engineering manager! You will be disappointed, and likely looking for a new job in a year or two, perhaps involuntarily.

The Training: Still one of the best "Trader 101" programs in the industry. The focus on options theory and market making is rigorous. The People: You’re surrounded by high-IQ quants and devs. Low ego at the junior level. Perks: baristas, great views, and a casual "wear what you want" culture that isn’t just PR.

Meritocratic (mostly): PnL speaks. If your desk makes money, you’re generally left alone to build. Cons: * Opacity: Bonus calculations and career progression feel like a black box. There’s a noticeable "inner circle" culture at the top. Work-Life Volatility: It’s prop trading, so hours are expected, but the "always-on" expectation for global shifts can be taxing without the commensurate pay bump seen elsewhere.

Excellent benefits Overall good culture Good opportunities to get a start in the field Good work/life balance

Firm is falling behind competitors, and lack of clear vision in tech / data has led to lots of wasted effort Infighting and competition across departments (esp. trading vs. quant) Opportunities for growth stall out after a few years