Shopify Design reviews

4.0

93% would recommend to a friend

(12 total reviews)
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Tobias Lütke

95% approve of CEO

97% positive business outlook

Reviews by job title

12 reviews
2.0
Jul 29, 2020

Overhyped and disingenuous

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Growing company benefitting from the tailwinds of COVID-19 - A compelling mission to help entrepreneurs and SMBs - Some talented and smart people - Decent compensation and benefits relative to the market

Cons

Shopify has crafted an incredible public image and perception that they’re 1 of the best employers in the world. Things aren’t quite as rosy on the inside though. The company has scaled without deeply thinking about processes and structures to enable people to collaborate effectively together. Decisions tend to happen pretty haphazardly from the leadership team, and individual contributors are often left taking orders top down. Middle management is increasingly growing and there are a lot of individuals who shouldn’t be leading people. Shopify has a tendency to keep unqualified people around longer than they should, while letting go of people who are more opinionated and don’t fit into the passive culture. Shopify introduced a level system, but promotions still tend to be weighted by how others perceive you versus your output. Your ability to play the game and befriend people across the company is how you’ll rise in the org. Shopify’s still a predominantly white organization and struggles like most companies in tech with diversity. The leadership team and the company still have a long way to go towards building an inclusive culture for people of color.

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Shopify Response
5y
Hi, there! Firstly, I would like to thank you for taking some time to share your feedback. It is true that Shopify has scaled and is going through some bigger changes. Without discomfort you can’t have change. Part of the culture here at Shopify is to thrive on change and to learn to become comfortable with uncertainty. We are working on creating a better environment and culture while we all grow together, sometimes all it takes is time. When it comes to leadership, there is always room to grow and improve. We have created a leadership development program called “Leading at Shopify” to help leads be successful. Through this program, leads explore how to embody Shopify’s leadership expectations through a blend of self-directed work, remote classroom sessions and in-person training events with their peers. This past year we’ve introduced a job level system and career pathing to help employees with their career journey. The new system was made to allow each individual to own their own development and therefore own how they proactively work toward their individual goals. It allows employees to level up based on their impact here. Diversity is an organizational imperative here at Shopify. We are continuing to work on building a global culture of belonging to ensure that everyone feels included, heard and valued. Our ultimate goal is to bring more voices to tech and entrepreneurship as we care deeply about those who work at Shopify and inevitably want everyone to feel valued.
5.0
Aug 7, 2018

No better place for growth

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Work with some of Canada's smartest people - Tons of room for person al growth - Strong percentage of colleagues show initiative and ownership

Cons

- Rapidly changing (good and bad); easy to throw hands up and tell yourself this is not what I signed up for - There is a lot of people in new positions that need more training or are still getting used to their new responsibilities - Software is stressful, things that can go wrong do. It's not easy.

5.0
Mar 23, 2018

The opportunity of a lifetime

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Working on something that is actually being used by a lot of people. You really are making a difference. - The salary package (Benefits+Equity+Salary) is the best you can get in a Canadian company - Tons of opportunities to learn. I find that whenever something isn't working well, I'm empowered to either change it or give the feedback to the right team. - What you hear from the leadership team is genuine. You know that they aren't trying to con employees. - Working at Shopify is basically a golden ticket for your career. - You're trusted by your lead and your team. - The CEO cares highly about the people, the product and the company. He has great opinions and is willing to retract when he learns he's wrong about something.

Cons

- The recent reorg has brought some challenges. While it makes sense for most people, some employees might find themselves a little bit forgotten. - The very fast growth of the company has caused some issues. Usually, these are fixed with time, but there's often an awkward moment where no one really knows what's happening. There should be a better change management process. It's not about being afraid of change, it's about making it easier for people to embrace it.

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