Highly collaborative, data-driven product development
Pros
- Product requirements are fleshed out in advance with ample engineering input - Engineers are empowered to research and plan their solutions in advance of diving into feature development - Product development timelines are aggressive enough to ensure that there's always work to accomplish, but not so much that it's overloaded or stressful - Engineers own feature development from the planning stages through execution and release. It feels more rewarding because of the amount of responsibility you're given - The engineering team is lean considering the complexity of the product. It's awesome that there aren't too many cooks in the kitchen - New features are rigorously A/B tested, removing ambiguity and subjectivity from product decisions. Product teams feel more like an equal playing field for this reason - There are tons of amazing office perks! As well as unbeatable benefits when it comes to 401k matching, equity, commuter subsidy, etc - OkCupid itself is a product that welcomes all people and that truly helps build positive and meaningful connections. I am proud about the outcome of my work
Cons
Please keep in mind that the following critiques are ones I would have about EVERY software development job I've had... - The focus is always on building new features. It would be beneficial for the product as well as for the code base if we allocated more time for addressing tech debt, writing unit tests, etc. - Perfection is a moving and evolving target. There are aspects of the code base that aren't great, but then again we are always working to improve them and that's rewarding!
