Pros
When my friends see me now, they all comment that I am the happiest they've seen me, and my job at Venmo is the reason why. (And this is out of >5 jobs across many years, so this is really saying something.) Here's what's great about Venmo:
* Inclusive, open, and nonjudgmental people. They are genuinely interested in learning more about what you have to say, and are quick to invite you out for a drink just because you are in the office late at the same time. And people are encouraged to be themselves as individuals; rather than being judged, individuals are appreciated.
* Diversity of thought and backgrounds. We have people from all walks of life -- Ivy Leaguers, Hacker School alums, an ethnic smorgasbord, and a gender mix that's really rare in the tech and startup space. I think at last count, we had 30% women in technical roles, and even a higher ratio across the company. And this adds to the openness of our community.
* Autonomy with support. If you are a self-directed person, Venmo is amazing. You are given a ton of responsibility from the outset and expected to deliver. It's up to you to come up with your own deliverables, plan, and timing. There is support if you need it from your colleagues, and not many barriers to getting things done. No bureaucracy, no blockers. I should note here that I'm not on the Engineering side, where there is a bit more structure about deliverables.
* Sense of unified purpose. We are all in it together to make Venmo _the_ mobile P2P payments app. As someone who isn't on the Engineering team, I still feel part of the purpose and also am able to propose my often-naive point of view. People aren't dismissive of good ideas (or bad ones, in my case); they appreciate that you care enough to be thinking about and raising ideas.
* Great perks. I don't care about this as much, but I recognize Venmo offers amazing perks. Beyond the free food, flexible hours, flexible WFH approach, fantastic new office with beautiful views of the Hudson River, and awesome West Village location, the perks I like the most are the ones that bring the office together: Cocktail Thursdays, the nightly gatherings in the gaming room, once-monthly evenings out to local places like Fat Cat, funny events like Nacho Chip Day, Pi Day, etc.
Cons
Some of the cons -- which Venmo leaders are aware of and actively seeking to address -- are:
* Lots of open roles, which affects people's on-the-job learning and leads to things not getting done. We are hiring like crazy (but carefully -- don't want to disrupt our special culture), so I imagine this should get resolved by the end of this year.
* Uncertainty about how things might change with Paypal's influence. So far, there hasn't been a lot of negative stuff, mostly some neutral-to-positive changes (e.g., the new office, good compensation). But there is a sense that this could change.
* Clearer strategy beyond the next 6-12 months. We know what we need to do today and next month and this quarter, but sometimes it's hard to be sure what the overall strategy is.
***********I would say that if you aren't self-directed and able to handle regular change (e.g., to your org structure, manager, or even your role), then Venmo is not for you. We are maturing as a startup but still have a lot of flux.*************
