Brilliant engineers and genuinely advanced tech
Pros
- Exceptionally strong engineering team, especially in network technologies. After interviewing elsewhere, it became clear how far ahead the core technology really was. - Deep, thoughtful code reviews were strongly encouraged, creating an environment where learning from each other and improving code quality was the norm rather than the exception. - Backend teams were equally skilled and collaborative, which made cross-team work both productive and intellectually rewarding. - The company valued taking the time necessary to build things correctly. This focus on quality was especially important given the security‑critical nature of the product and the trust customers place in it. - Management encouraged independent thinking and ownership, which empowered engineers to make meaningful technical contributions. - Mostly remote work (around 95%) provided flexibility, complemented by occasional week‑long in‑person design sessions and social get‑togethers that noticeably boosted collaboration and morale. From what I understand, in‑person collaboration became even more frequent after I left.
Cons
- Much of the inner workings lived in the codebase and in people’s heads, so ramping up took some time for me. - The predominantly remote environment could be challenging if you thrive on frequent, ongoing feedback.