Great startup culture and perks - Software Engineer Pure Chat Employee Review

5.0
12 Mar 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

This review is from the perspective of a software engineer. As a software engineer, I had the opportunity to work across the entire stack and take full ownership of my work. I was hired as a mobile developer, but in just a year I had learned the ins and outs of full stack Web development. While my coworkers helped me learn Web development, they also had the opportunity to learn and work on mobile. In other words, we all had opportunity to touch every part of the code base. There was no middle management. The CEO is a software engineer himself. The perks were great. Catered meals, free gym, free gym classes, and relatively flexible work hours. Unlimited coffee, drinks, and snacks. This may sound weird, but even the bathrooms were nice. (It's something you don't realize you appreciate until you don't have it.) The office suite is shared with Axosoft, so you can expect a similar work culture. It was a very open and accepting culture in which diversity was celebrated. It was also a very family-friendly environment. There was a strong sense of camaraderie. I left to move to a different state but still remain in touch with coworkers. Given it was a relatively small start-up, everyone had a say. We met regularly as a company to discuss our direction as a company. These meetings were fully inclusive in that everyone gave input. I (along with others) attended with the CEO locally to help pitch and promote the company. As a company, we even took a week-long trip to San Francisco. Related to the points above, everything was very transparent. We were all on the same page with respect to finances and short- and long-term goals. Overall I'd highly recommend Pure Chat if you are looking for a fast-paced startup experience and want to grow as a software engineer. Every week I'd write code that would directly impact the quickly growing customer base. Things were never dull.

Cons

Since it's a fast-paced startup environment, there is no room for BS or for slacking off. As a software engineer, I was pushed to work outside of my comfort zone, which forced me to learn new technologies. I honestly don't consider these things cons, however, so long as you are up for the challenge and are not just looking for complacency.

Explore other reviews about Pure Chat

5.0
17 Sept 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Solid culture and brilliant CEO

Cons

None, just need to look at remote work policies, as I think that would come in handy.

5.0
9 Dec 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Working with awesome people who are all good at what they do and personally invested in the success of the company. - The opportunity to help direct the strategy of the product/company - Fun, relaxed office environment - Management who really care about their people

Cons

In my book these aren't really "cons," but they are probably things you should know before you apply at Pure Chat: - The team holds you accountable for all your work. It's a small group, so there's no one to hide behind if things don't get done. - We don't have traditional upper management throwing things over the wall, so again you are often the strategist and the executioner of your own projects. - The path forward is not always clear. We're a high growth startup and there aren't tried-and-true solutions to every business challenge we face. That means we all have to get creative and it can be frustrating until we figure out what's going to be successful.

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