As good as it gets if you like working at VC-funded startups - Software Engineer Whatnot Employee Review

5.0
Sep 18, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Lots of action in all areas of the business: engineering/design, growth, marketing, operations. There really aren't any sleepy corners in the company and there is always tons to do. There is no pointless busywork, everything you build is shipped immediately. Easy to make an impact. - The culture is very hands-on, and if something interests you in particular you have a chance to step up and just do it. Things are still quite open with not a lot of gatekeeping. Horizontal career shifts happen and folks have considerable success after switching tracks. - Lots of talented and ambitious people. - Remote-first culture from day one. - Very driven leadership team. Confidence in leadership is high and has been since the day I joined. - Very good benefits for full-time employees. - Fun and engaging company offsites, great interpersonal culture.

Cons

- Politics and cliquishness. There are several distinct sub-cultures within the org, mostly based on people's previous employer. As you can imagine, it takes political effort to overcome people's natural tendency to stick with their old teammates. Not dramatically bad but something to keep in mind and work on. - Tech stack is a bit haphazard given the rapid growth in business and headcount. It's constantly improving but there is a lot of baggage deep in the core. - Depending on your team, work culture and work/life balance can vary. The company prioritizes work/life balance policies but some teams just have a lot more on their hands due to the subject matter they operate with.

Explore other reviews about Whatnot

5.0
Jul 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Strong culture, leadership really encourages feedback and listens/acts. I feel very supported by my manager and loyal to the company and the mission

Cons

Whatnot is all-consuming sometimes, but none of the work feels like a waste of time like at other companies

2.0
Jul 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good healthcare and good benefits.

Cons

Increasingly corporate culture Benefits slowly being rolled back every year Must use PTO for any holidays you want off as Ops agent/specialist Utter lack of leadership. Revolving door of managers because they refuse to promote internally for years Repetitive, dull work Toxic work culture. Very petty people in management who don’t accept anything but yes men Virtually no training established and hardly any SOPs written. What little there are of both are very poorly executed (aka people brand new to the work doing the training) No upward mobility whatsoever Arbitrary pay scales and performance reviews not necessarily aligned with performance or tenure. Disclaimer: experience entirely dependent on what team you’re on. Avoid T&R like the plague.

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