Pros
As we see the team growing, I feel it is important to provide critical feedback on the company. Many other reviews I see here are just bashful; you have to think how mature are these 'somewhat experienced' people if they're taking time out of their days to bash a company online? Moreover I have been at Revolut for quite a long time, I've learned an immeasurable amount. There was another review which I found useful so I will use a similar structure. Self Learning Revolut enables us to tackle problems that are entirely unique and consecutively encourages us to seek unique solutions. The majority of my team (+ others) is quite young, meaning we spend a lot of time diving into the data and business without clear guidance. For the thinkers out there, this is ideal. Less Hierarchical Politics Having worked at larger corporates in the past - I can confidently say there is much less of this at Revolut. It is often the case that you will debate against seniority (e.g the 'experienced' people) - this is the key to success. Seniority often leads to complacency and misplaced ego, you must be willing to question your own assumptions and take criticism from others - how else can you grow? Data & Logic First No decisions are made with a "because-I-said-so" attitude. While some may see it as that, they are clearly not understanding the logic behind such decisions. Due to the speed of growth and collective ambition of employees, there is no room for assumptions. Revolut bases all decisions on data where it is available. Many 'experienced' hires are unable to accept this since they're accustomed to common practices. If the vision is to create something new for the world, how could we possibly do this by following in the footsteps of those we're trying to replace? Culture This may seem odd since the majority of the reviews question our culture. Yes, it is true that we have some internal qualms. Yes, it is true that we don't have many fluffy events and zoo retreats. But what is the marginal utility of these gimmicks? Large technology companies have capital to support such activities and as a result have now skewed the market's perception of culture. To be successful at Revolut, vision should be your culture. A vision for your team, a vision for the product and a vision for the company. It comes with its sacrifices - but what doesn't? Moreover, the Data Science team at Revolut is exceptionally collaborative and friendly with one another. We arrange many of our own activities, share learning resources and constantly discuss new projects we can tackle to improve the product. Growth It is quite obvious the several of the brightest people at Revolut will be future founders. There are many ambitious employees who yearn to make an impact and change things. They work a lot out of a sincere addiction to what they do and subsequently they get rewarded. It is astonishing how young most people are but despite this they are incredibly mature.
Cons
Lack of Guidance Many employees prefer to have guidance or experience to learn from. As a result we have a misalignment between employees and the way Revolut operates. It is not wrong to desire guidance - but it is equally important to be confident enough in yourself to know that you can achieve the same status as such 'experienced' people. It obviously would be beneficial to have a few intelligent people with some extra years of knowledge - but finding ones who are willing to adapt and learn is difficult. Lack of Knowledge of Fundamentals Although Revolut is packed full of intelligent people, this does not mean they are always wise. Some display heavy oversight or a lack of understanding of fundamentals - so they play into the 'buzz' and don't solve problems in the most efficient way. This stretches from Data Science to Engineering. Just as a surgeon goes through an extensive training regime covering a giant stretch of fundamentals - so should a technical hire (irrespective of his/her past work experience or seniority). This is a problem which has been fixed over the past few months in the Data Science team. Lack of Leadership Amongst Technical Hires Unfortunately some technical hires jump away from responsibility and display little to no leadership qualities at all. Engineers should grasp the product, vision and business logic of the code they're writing instead of behaving as cogs in a machine. LEADERSHIP is what will drive culture and productivity forward - nobody should be telling you to take on these qualities, it is something you should do own your own.
