Things are Changing - Senior Software Engineer HackerOne Employee Review

3.0
14 Dec 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Remote first, but now but seems to be moving towards hub zones, and then maybe in-office. - Good place to learn due to flexible managers and lack of process.

Cons

- New management seems to be finally moving the culture in the direction the last CEO intended; performance culture. - Management is tracking notorious metrics like MR/PR submission and comment counts, LOCs, etc, and using them to rank people. - Salary is mid to low end; no other forms of comp. Options were underwater till the board recently took action to bring it back to near 0. Potential eng candidates were usually lost when they had another offer. - Some teams lack process and coordination which is causing coordination and burnout hardships. - Recently roles were re-leveled to pull in more requirements related to AI and requirements from the level above them. - With an extreme push on AI initiatives, the company seems more feature, driven rather than value / problem driven. - There seems to be a downward trend on work, life balance, but this is most likely intentional. The company has internally announced the intention to change the culture so this is most likely intentional. Unfortunately this is causing burnout amount a number of engineers.

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HackerOne Response
5mo
Thanks for taking the time to write us a review. As we grow, we are making strategic changes to best serve our customers. Our goal is to build clarity around impact, ownership, and outcomes while remaining a place where people can learn, grow, and do meaningful work. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback!

Explore other reviews about HackerOne

5.0
4 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Very clear interview process and onboarding steps. -Great benefits.

Cons

None that I can think of.

2.0
8 Jan 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- The coworkers are genuinely amazing: smart, kind, and deeply supportive. Many people truly care about doing the right thing and helping each other succeed. - The mission is meaningful. Supporting the global community of ethical hackers is powerful, and the work has real impact on improving security across the internet.

Cons

- Since the arrival of the new CEO, nearly the entire C-suite has been replaced in under a year. This has created an environment of fear, risk aversion, and excessive CYA behavior. - HackerOne used to value transparency and open dialogue. “An honest question gets an honest answer” was more than a motto—it was lived. Today, people are afraid to ask honest questions, and answers are often vague corporate speak rather than real explanations. - A new AI engineer role was created with a pay band roughly 40% higher than existing software engineers. In practice, some software engineers are doing the same work for significantly less pay, which has caused frustration and morale issues. - The company once had a strong, people-first culture. That culture has eroded to the point where layoffs have occurred while employees were on maternity leave. - A newly hired VP in engineering focused on AI appears more interested in empire-building and optics with the C-suite than in empowering teams. Accountability is demanded without corresponding agency, and blame is often pushed downward when decisions don’t work out.

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