employer cover photo
employer logo

Solid - Senior Software Engineer BigCommerce Employee Review

4.0
30 Apr 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Since the engineering organization is so large (200+ people), a lot of your experience here will likely depend heavily on the team you work on. Mine has been fantastic, with a stellar manager with a 'servant leader' approach and kind, funny, skilled teammates who support each other and help each other grow. Every interaction I've had with people up the chain in the department has also been very positive. What I've seen of the technical infrastructure in my year here has been impressive, and there's a team dedicated to helping improve the tooling used by the developers. Although I haven't worked for an organization of this size before, what's provided on this front seems way above average. Senior members of both my team and others are generally very accessible, and I have regular time on the calendar with my team lead engineer and the director in addition to 1-1s with my direct manager. Communication-wise, the organization seems to have adopted really well to working fully remote. There's a clear path for advancement in the organization, with specific benchmarks for reaching the next level and regular discussion of them. Because of the rapid growth of the team, it seems realistic to be promoted within a reasonable timeframe if that's your goal. Management seems pretty engaged in keeping the engineering staff happy, and they've done some nice light-touch stuff with sending out occasional gifts and such. Small things but they set a nice tone. We've also had twice-a-year hackathons that have been a great way to connect with engineers outside our immediate teams and stretch our technical wings.

Cons

A couple parts of the hiring process were a little shady. My offer included stock options but the recruiter refused to tell me the total number of shares outstanding. Very odd signal to send that you think I'm start enough for a six figure technical job but dumb enough to fall for a trick like that. I ended up getting the information elsewhere and it's moot for others now that they're public, but a bit of a weird start. They also sent me an expansive noncompete weeks after I'd signed the offer letter - this could have killed the deal altogether but I ended up just signing it as it didn't look enforceable anyway. They allow for early exercise of options, which is great for tax management, but it took almost four months to get it done (in the nick of time). The people I dealt with on the compensation team were all very friendly and apologetic, so it seems like more of a matter of broken/cumbersome processes than anything else. The communication around Covid-19 and return to office policies has been awful. For six months straight, an update would be sent on one of the last days of the month indicating the office would be closed the following month, with no further information on plans past that time frame. The culture in the Austin and SF offices is extremely woke. It usually doesn't affect people's work too much, and of course this could also be neutral or a pro depending on your outlook.

Explore other reviews about BigCommerce

5.0
4 Jun 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There is a lot of new leadership breathing newness into the company. There is a rebrand on the horizon, different focuses and positioning, complimentary portfolio products, brilliant staff, new company values and more.

Cons

There has been a ton of change and while the new leadership is great, they are still getting their touch on things. This isn't all so much a con in general as it is to absorb, communicate, explain and soak in.

1
avatar
BigCommerce Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback! We appreciate your input and are happy to hear you’re enjoying your experience here. If you have any further feedback to share, please feel free to email us at ta@bigcommerce.com or reach out to your HRBP.
4.0
21 Feb 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- BC hires great people - Is finally focusing on the product and its ideal customer rather than trying to be a product that it isn't. - Supportive culture - Good work life balance - Senior and Director leadership is caring and supportive - Really positive outlook for the product

Cons

- Has cut 10% of staff every year for the last 3 years and last year they cut most of their top performers that brought in the most revenue - No 401k match (although they may now) - Lower pay than most tech companies for the same roles - Either BC has the right people in place or they have the right direction to work in with the right leadership but never both - If you are remote, you aren't invited to the office much even for kick offs or planning. So you will feel a bit secluded. - Not much room for career growth as they keep cutting people

1
avatar
BigCommerce Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback! We appreciate your input and are happy to hear you enjoyed your experience here. If you have any further feedback to share please feel free to email us at ta@bigcommerce.com.
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All