Fun while it lasted (engineering position) - Front End Engineer Yelp Employee Review

4.0
Feb 20, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I worked at Yelp for several years, and will always miss the people. Yelp felt very family-like: friendly and open-minded folks, good communication throughout. These are folks you would want to hang out with on the weekends like BFFs. In fact, I might be spoiled by them; I now expect the same kind of warmth and friendliness from future employers and colleagues. Good supply of snacks and drinks. The current office (140 New Montgomery) is beautifully done, though might be a little too spread-out for some areas. Average compensation, though the benefits (401k, health insurance) are pretty average. From the engineering side, the codebase is so old and badly written in many places, that, depending on what team you're on and the kind of challenges you fancy, this can be a godsend (you love fixing things), or a curse (you love new stuff). I might have a long list of cons below, but I still would recommend Yelp.

Cons

I feel like Yelp may be over-reaching on their core values. They have a vision, for sure, but it's a very broad vision, and not very focused. The higher-ups tend to wear rose-colored glasses when discussing company statistics. I wish they were a little more humble and frank. Also, at times the company seems risk-averse. Expanding to other countries: no problem. Delivering a better user experience: jump through bureaucratic hurdles. Certain projects can takes years of planning and back-and-forth because they really don't want to lose users or revenue, however small that may be, and/or managers keep leaving. Innovation takes a back-seat. Previously, I mentioned the codebase. It's... so ugly that implementing innovative features is an absolute chore. Deploying code is done serially through a person rather than an automated parallel system, which became a HUGE bottleneck when the engineering department grew astronomically in the past couple of years. Lastly, growth. The company is growing fast, and not really in a good way. I can only speak for the engineering department, and it grew a LOT during my time there. Unfortunately, the industry-experts:new-grads ratio is very low. As a result, you'll get one-year Yelp employees mentoring new hires, and sometimes, a one-year employee ends up as manager. Not that that employee doesn't deserve it, but there are still two- and three-year folks around, and they get passed over.

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5.0
Apr 14, 2026
Recommend
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Pros

Great company to work for

Cons

No negatives come to mind

5.0
Jul 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Supportive management-My manager is amazing and truly cares about my personal and professional growth. Career development- I love the position I am in, but have been encouraged for others. Yelp offers great opportunities to advance, explore new roles and develop new skills if that's the direction you want. Work life balance-10/10. As a mom of 3, I feel empowered to balance my family responsibilities and career and Yelp does just that. Inclusivity and culture- Yelp’s commitment to belonging and inclusivity is real, I’ve always felt valued here. I love my team so much. Flexibility- Movement between roles and growth are genuinely supported. Working from home also helps a lot with flexibility. Employee recognition-Hard work is acknowledged and celebrated daily.

Cons

Large company changes- Like any sizable company, occasional shifts or leadership changes mean adapting to new processes. Remote work challenges- Not unique to Yelp, but staying connected with coworkers virtually can take extra effort. Compensation-Base is very low compared to a lot of other tech companies, but again you put the work in and it all evens out.

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