Square Engineering

Pros: Some of the direct managers for us Software Engineers are genuinely supportive. They really try to give decent project guidance, which is good. There's also a pretty clear overall company vision, typical for big tech companies, that upper management communicates.
Cons: The biggest issue is inconsistent leadership across different backend development teams. It feels like certain departments in the San Francisco office get better resources and clearer direction than others. This makes career growth tough when your immediate leadership isn't always on the same page.
Advice to Management: Standardize leadership training and expectations across all engineering departments, especially for developer roles. Make sure all team leads have the tools and authority to support their reports effectively.

Pros: For a big tech company, the hybrid model is solid. As a Software Engineer, I usually got 2-3 work-from-home days a week. This really helped with my commute to the San Francisco office.
Cons: Flexibility isn't consistent across all engineering teams in the fintech industry. Some managers are stricter about coming into the office than others. It's definitely not a fully remote setup if you're looking for that.
Advice to Management: Try to standardize work flexibility policies across all engineering teams. It would help a lot with consistency.