Great learning environment but uncertain stock future - Senior Software Engineer Upstart Employee Review

Promising product, competitive pay, lots of work

Unstable, leadership is hit or miss

Competitive pay, work travel opportunities

When working at Upstart, your chances of being laid off is not an if but when it will happen to you. In the nearly 5 years I worked there, I managed to survive 4 or 5 major layoffs, resulting in reporting to 7 different managers and 2 temporary managers, either due to them being laid off or leaving of their own accord. All of the managers I had were supportive, some more than others, only bc a couple couldn't provide specific feedback bc they didn't oversee the programs I worked but they were the backbone of this company. It does not bode well when the new director of your team immediately comes in and says if she could have fewer people on her team, she would get rid of as many people as possible. When one of the cities that Upstart is located was experiencing a heatwave and many employees were experiencing electricity shutoffs to help the grid, Upstart's CEO responded with a complete lack of empathy or understanding. Upstart's response for damage control was providing slightly more sick time hours. Unfortunately, layoffs are quickly glossed over and ignored here. If you keep your head down and echo the "culture," you may last long enough to see a lateral raise but it's a numbers game. Once your anxiety starts working up over every announcement, all hands meeting, company wide email, it's a matter of time when your role will be eliminated.