Thread by @GergelyOrosz

"Why are you looking to leave your current employer?" is a question I've asked hundreds of times when hiring at Uber. There are few things I've not heard.

Save for how Revolut treated engineers.

Here's how to build a culture where the hardest-working people voluntarily leave:

This was years back. I was doing the hiring manager interview. I ask the question and expect one of the common reasons - challenges, money, boredom etc.

"I'm pissed off, that's why. I put my heart and soul into this company, worked 80-hour weeks, and get slapped in the face."

Okay, this was new. "Can you give more details on what happened?"

"I didn't get a bonus."

"Well " - I think to myself - "that's not much to be pissed off about."

"So why did that tick you off?" - I ask. The person continues to explain this is not your usual bonus situation:

"So the way Revolut works is bonuses are tied to goals. Which is fine. So our goal was to ship this massive new feature by 1 March. It required engineering, product, design, legal etc to work together. A team of 20-30 people, about half of these engineers."

"We had 2-3 months to the deadline. At first we told management this is impossible. But it's Revolut so they had none of this.

I said screw it, let's do it.

Me and the whole engineering team work through weekends for months. I miss bedtime for my kid most days. But we push on."

"Against all the odds we make it for the launch. We even have time to test and validate. It all works!

But there's some legal issue and we can't launch on 1 Mar. The legal team gets clearance and we launch a few days later.

Management says: you missed the goal, zero bonus."

"And that is when I decided, I'm out.

What company ignores the effort and challenges behind getting things done? What place ignores all sacrifices people do for a project we said was impossible?

It's places like Revolut.

I gave it my all, and got a big fat 'not good enough'."

What was crazy about this story for me is how this all seemed very deliberate from the company.

I have no idea if the company knew or cared, but AFAIK most of the team started interviewing after seeing how hard work doesn't matter when the deadline is missed by an inch.

The mind-bending part is that pulling crazy like this did not seem to hurt the company.

Revolut is seen as a FinTech success, with a >$30B valuation.

I personally think they are succeeding *despite* pulling things like this, the culture of results, no acknowledgment of effort.

The one (and only) positive thing I have heard about Revolut, that, unlike many EU companies or competitors like Bunq, they do give equity to engineers. And there are already >50 paper millionaires in the company.

Good on them to compensate for a very... strange culture.

Some additions:

- Apparently, no one working on this project got a bonus (of the 20-30 people). Oh, the product launch was a success.

- How did I, as a hiring manager look at this story shared? ABSOLUTELY positive. This person was right to interview & leave.

Until now, I've told this story in private to a few people who reached out, with offers from Revolut.

None of those people took the offer afterward.

The company is known for this type of non-respectful culture in some communities:

https://twitter.com/Lexer11l/status/1444287791278575619?s=20

Gotten many DMs from ex-Revolut engineers. Not a single positive experience shared. Quotes:

“toxic culture”
“absolutely abysmal”
“ridiculous deadlines”
“full disrespect of engineers”
“despicable”

If you’re an eng working at Revolut with a *non-negative* experience, DMs open.

To balance, a few *current* Revolut engineers reached out who like the place (thanks!)

Their points:
- The past was... the past
- $$$ above the market
- A culture of rewarding high-performers (equity)
- Yes, low performers are let go (but more rare w eng)
- Company maturing

So to close it out

1. I don't suggest to do what Revolut did with dangling a carrot to take it away

2. Companies/teams change over time... both good and bad.

3. If you have an offer from Company X, reverse interview them:

https://twitter.com/gergelyorosz/status/1417899149589102592