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Mar 1, 2018 15 Comments

I saw a lot of posts on Glassdoor criticizing management and painting a very negative picture of coursera. Curious to know what Coursera employees on blind have to say about that, specifically in Engineering.

Do you believe in coursera’s growth potential?
Do you trust the management? Do you enjoy working there?

I’m interested in joining the eng org but the Glassdoor reviews were a red flag in my research. The volume and consistency of them was alarming. Thank you

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  • Coursera eng here. I’m pretty bullish on the company’s future. The new CEO came in, trimmed some of the fat, and restructured things (with the longer term goal of taking the company public). I’m assuming Glassdoor reviews are a reflection of that shakeup.

    I think it really depends on the type of company you’re looking for. Compared to my friends who joined one of the big four, the scope of what I get to do, and the opportunity for engineering impact is so much larger here. I’m working on projects right now that only very senior engineers would touch at other companies. (This could vary based on your team, but I think is generally the case.) There are interns and new grads who come in guns blazing and are leading important eng initiatives in several months.

    Also, I get hit up by recruiters every week. If it’s not a fit long term, there will definitely be great exit opportunities for you. So as an engineer, you get many of the benefits of working at a startup (fast-paced, opportunity for big impact) without a lot of the risk.
    Mar 2, 2018 2
  • Do yourself a favor and avoid like the plague if you expect to be valued and compensated fairly. Things are a shit show right now and there's no telling when things will get better.
    Mar 3, 2018 1
  • Product org and I can say we went through a big re-org and are going though the natural readjustment. I bet that plays heavily on the ratings, although I’ve not looked at them. Personally think we needed a big change. I’m bullish on the future.

    The best thing about Coursera is the people. They are passionate about the mission. If that’s not what drives you then it might not be a good fit. Google will always pay more.

    On eng, the EMs are incredible to work with, the best I’ve worked with in the industry. There’s a drive towards pushing challenging, quality product.
    Mar 1, 2018 0
  • The people are great and the recent re-org did shake things up a bit. However, I do believe the future of the company is still positive. There are three teams: learner, partnerships, and growth. Depends on which one you’re planning to join and they are all drastically different.
    Mar 2, 2018 1
  • To echo above comments, yes, there was a shakeup but it was needed and also was leaderships action on some of the employee feedback during the annual survey. Hard to say act and then feel bad if real action is taken. Some folks are negative, but in general, everyone’s bullish about future. Some great things are happening that are aligned with broader company mission. You really need to introspect on what’s your priority - big company v/s small? Money v/s mission.. in the short term, your total comp might be quite high at bigger orgs, but there is upside potential at Coursera, if you truly believe in the company and the mission. Leadership is just making some hard shots for better future, which might be lil painful in the immediate terms.
    Mar 3, 2018 0