Stripe
Stripe is an Irish-American financial infrastructure platform offering payment-processing software and application programming interfaces for e-commerce businesses, websites and mobile applications.
Overworked, very little diversity in eng org, but hopefully big pay off
Pros
The work is very high impact and there are lots of opportunities to learn if you're not already familiar with the fintech space. Most of the big projects I've been on so far have been fun to work on. There are also a lot of talented, kind, and helpful engineers at Stripe who are really nice to learn from. I really enjoy my manager and the folks on my team. The money + bonuses are ~ok~. Pretty standard for a pre-IPO unicorn, but the goal is that there will be a big pay off later (fingers crossed).Cons
- The work life balance is *bad*. For how many products Stripe has, we are a very lean company. Too lean. There's just a lot of work, and very very tight deadlines, very fast paced, and not enough engineers and product managers to do all of it. If you want WLB as an engineer, join an infrastructure team, not a product team. - There is little to no investment in making the engineering org more diverse. This was surprising to me because of a lot of public facing company statements, but don't be fooled like I was. People (at least in the eng org) do not care about diversity. - HR sucks. And of course they would, I guess. But I had a really negative experience with HR where I walked away feeling completely devalued and gaslit. - Dev environments kinda suck and make the work a lot slower than it should be.About Stripe
Stripe is a leading American technology company that enables individuals and businesses in over 20 countries to accept online payments seamlessly. Specializing in the technical, fraud prevention, and banking infrastructure necessary for online payment systems, Stripe empowers e-commerce websites and mobile applications with cutting-edge payment-processing software and APIs. As the largest private fintech company, Stripe boasts a valuation of approximately $65 billion and processed over $1 trillion in payment volume in 2023, solidifying its position at the forefront of the online payments industry.
Why Join the Stripe Team?
At Stripe, we are passionate about creating access and enabling innovation across the globe. Our technology empowers companies that once couldn't have existed, helping them compete on equal footing from some of the most unlikely places in the world. Whether it’s an education company in Guatemala, a bug tracking startup in the Middle East, or a hiring platform based in Nigeria, Stripe is dedicated to accelerating the progress of the most ambitious companies, no matter their location.
LIFE AT STRIPE
Life at Stripe is defined by curiosity, meticulousness, and an obsessive focus on users. Stripes inspire those around them to reach higher and achieve more. We believe the most important work is still ahead of us, and we encourage every Stripe to take ownership and continually improve the company. Our flat structure means that what matters is the impact you make, not your job title. We want you to show us how it’s done and possibly create something beyond our imagination.
BENEFITS AT STRIPE
We also believe in supporting our team members with a balanced set of benefits that help them be their best selves and perform great work. This includes comprehensive health plans, financial support for the future, assistance for major life moments, and access to healthy, delicious food at the office. By applying the same principles to our benefits that we use to drive our mission, we ensure that Stripes and their families are well-supported as we work together to create a better economic future for everyone.
Does Stripe Offer Remote Work?
Stripe offers remote work and has embraced a flexible working model to support its employees and customers. The company has established a remote engineering hub that functions as a virtual office, equal in status to its physical locations in San Francisco, Seattle, Dublin, and Singapore. Since its inception, Stripe has employed remote workers, and in recent years, it has expanded this approach significantly. Stripe's remote work model includes hiring remote employees for various roles, supporting a distributed workforce across multiple continents, and fostering an inclusive culture that emphasizes asynchronous communication and collaboration. This approach not only enhances productivity but also allows Stripe to tap into a diverse talent pool from around the world.
Stripe is tailored for individuals who not only relish solving difficult problems but also excel at it. If this description aligns with your capabilities, consider taking on a leading role in shaping the next chapter of Stripe's story.
We have weekly sessions where senior leaders meet all Stripes and provide updates on the business, answer questions, and dive deep into recent projects and priorities. We have job titles, but we’re not highly stratified; we make decisions based on the quality of an idea, not the seniority of the person proposing it.
We balance innovation with scrupulous attention to every bit and byte involved in the movement of money—because we can’t do our job well unless we do both. When we started, we emailed every API error to everyone at the company. Now, we have more than 250 million API requests a day—and we still care about each one.
In their professional journey, whom do they aspire to serve? The clientele spans across diverse industries and nations, catering to community nourishment, healthcare provision, transportation facilitation, and more. From local retailers and fitness centers to international corporations, they utilize the infrastructure Stripe provides. With $641 billion in payments processed in 2021 alone, Stripe holds a substantial responsibility in the global economy and endeavors to maintain trustworthiness as custodians of this trust.
Stripe hosts undergraduate and graduate interns from around the globe.
Crafted for creators At Stripe, individuals find an environment where they're encouraged to excel and innovate, supported by colleagues who inspire them to achieve their highest potential. The company fosters a culture that values both the broader vision and meticulous attention to the smallest details, whether it's in design, code, or communication.
PROS: Great pay and perks in NYC office. No micromanagement but everyone expected to achieve a lot. Many opportunities. CONS: When people come to the office they mean business. No play.
Stripe General Interview Questions
🗨️ Why do you want to work at Stripe?
🗨️ How did you hear about Stripe?
🗨️ Why Stripe?
🗨️ Tell me about yourself.
🗨️ What are you looking for in your next role?
🗨️ What is your current work experience?
🗨️ What do you do in your team?
🗨️ Tell me about something you failed.
🗨️ Tell me a time you made a mistake?
🗨️ Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Stripe Top Interview Questions
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR SOFTWARE ENGINEERS
🗨️ Manipulate a string to get desired output.
🗨️ What was the impact of a project you've worked on?
🗨️ Design API rate limiter and scale.
🗨️ Design a system for bike-sharing using an internal API.
🗨️ What's a project where you played a pivotal role in.
🗨️ Blur our credit card numbers from logs.
🗨️ Design Rate limiter in any programming language.
🗨️ Design a metric library for a mobile app.
🗨️ Integrate with an existing Stripe API using sample data.
🗨️ Find a bug in a JavaScript codebase.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
🗨️ Who are the stakeholders do you work with daily?
🗨️ Tell me how you handle your sales pipeline.
🗨️ Tell me about a time you lost a deal.
🗨️ What would be the Go to Market strategy for startups?
🗨️ Have you used Tableau?
🗨️ If you were the CEO of a company how would you pitch to an investor.
🗨️ What is your sales process and how do you forecast sales?
🗨️ Tell me about a time when you had to influence people.
🗨️ How do you handle a very unhappy customer?
🗨️ How would you sell Stripe to a CTO or CFO?
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