Plaid vs Stripe - Unicorn or buffalo?
Plaid seems like a cool company, really small still (~500+) with minor revenue increases. It's def on the jr side of its growth, but the culture seems really good based on reviews. Stripe, a giant and Unicorn, is def very impactful but seems not a good place to work at based on reviews and sentiments. Their new RSU grant structure is no good, wlb bad, and culture deteriorating and hostile (based on reviews). I don't have offers, but thinking about leaving FANG to join a smaller startup. #stripe #plaid TC 250 Which one would you pick and why?
I think plaid has more upside purely based on equity package structure. But those are some harsh words for Stripe’s culture. Where are you reading this? Reviews on blind/Glassdoor make it seem like fairly common growing pains
I joined Stripe recently and haven't had any reason to complain yet. It's definitely not a rest and vest place, but everyone I met so far is great.
That's good to hear. How does the new rsu vesting look like?
Well it's not as great as a fixed number of shares over 4y. But it's still a really hot paper money and if for some reason the stock goes down, you're protected against it going underwater.
Plaid scrapes users transaction history while processing payments. They're being sued by banks over this. Just unethical
Aren't we all lol
Plaid isn't a payment processor mate. We use direct bank APIs and oauth as far as its provided to us which is rarely because banks are both tech illiterate and actively hostile to opening the drawbridge to their data moats. We add MFA on behalf of the user in cases the banks themselves don't provide it. Apps pay through the nose to use our platform which allows us to be much more Apple like where we don't need to supplement our bottom line with sketchy data reselling.
I wouldn’t describe our culture as hostile. High-growth, fast-moving companies require adaptability and are not the ideal workplace for everyone (and that’s ok! Not everyone’s cup of tea.) The people are extraordinarily high caliber and the best part of working at Stripe.
Stripe’s culture is not shitty lol Like others said, it’s not a place where you can coast but people are nice, motivated, smart and we’re building some great stuff
To me, it seems like Plaid’s the obvious choice. Plaid has higher financial upside, greater prospects of company and personal growth, and a better culture (not necessarily saying that Stripe’s is bad). These are the main things I look at when deciding where to work at least.
why do you think Plaid has greater prospects?
OP, DM if you have more questions about Plaid culture and growth on the eng side at least.
Hey mind if I DM you?
Go for it @SpicyPeppa
I worked at FAANG for 5+ years prior to Stripe and the culture here is nowhere close to shitty. We have an awesome culture.
What's your comp like for Plaid? Which valuation is used for stocks?
@Eard22 it's still a private company so stock is continually vesting but it's not liquid until IPO. The evaluation basically applies some multiplier to the value of each stock grant which is then multiplied by the number of RSUs you receive. Comp is looking rosy for people who got in early. It has had a pretty strong trajectory, even at the 5B price that many are now considering stale it would have been really strong. If rumors of a 10-15B evaluation are true its instant retirement money for a lot of mid level employees.
Little oof - how much can I expect for an L6 offer?
What are you basing culture on? Not sure it’s as horrible as you make it out to be?
I just read lots of reviews on Blind and Glassdoor. Seems like the Perf process is cut throat, hard to get promoted internally, and management issues with lots of politics. I could def be wrong, its just my take based on all the reviews I've read.