salary pay - Software Development Engineer (SDE) Groupon Employee Review

Learned a great deal here. My first big guy job and the responsibilities kept me focused and motivated. I grew a lot as a person at Groupon as well

Not many cons. People are really cool.

- honestly... i can't think of anything.

The internship lacked clear direction from management. My manager often seemed unsure about what work to assign and gave tasks without clear goals, context, or expected outcomes. Many assignments felt unstructured and were not aligned with my STEM background. Several tasks could have been handled through a short team meeting, a form, or a basic process document rather than through an internship role. There was also poor mentorship. When I asked questions or tried to discuss the work, I often did not receive useful answers. In some cases, I was told to rely on AI instead of receiving proper technical or professional guidance. AI can be useful as a tool, but it cannot replace mentorship, role clarity, or manager involvement. The manager appeared inexperienced in leading interns. There was micromanagement at times, but it was not paired with clear direction or useful feedback. I had to repeatedly ask for work that matched my field, and near the end of the internship I felt I had to identify relevant work on my own. This made the experience feel poorly planned and disrespectful. Career growth was extremely limited. There was no clear path forward, no structured training, and no meaningful discussion about how to grow within the company. Instead of helping me develop as a potential employee, my manager suggested that I apply to other companies. That made the role feel temporary and disconnected from any long-term opportunity. The role had very few learning opportunities. Many processes were unclear, and there seemed to be heavy reliance on automated tools without enough internal knowledge or guidance. Several tasks and projects appeared to lack clear ownership, which made the work environment confusing. Communication from leadership and HR was also poor. Decisions were not clearly explained, and HR did not appear to handle concerns with enough preparation or clarity. Calls often felt like attempts to gather basic information that should have been reviewed beforehand. I also had concerns about professional boundaries. I have evidence that an HR representative viewed or monitored my personal Instagram profile while handling a workplace issue. That felt inappropriate and made me question whether the matter was being handled professionally. The broader work environment felt disorganized. Too many people seemed involved in simple tasks, while ownership and accountability were unclear. The company felt more like an unstructured startup trying to manage too many disconnected projects than a place with mature processes, stable leadership, or a clear intern program. Overall, the internship did not provide meaningful mentorship, structured learning, career growth, or role clarity. I would not recommend this role to someone looking for a serious professional development experience.