What is the hiring process like at Xsolla?

The benefits are really great to the point thats probably the only redeeming factor for anyone who is considering why they should work here.

Where should we start? There is constant hiring and firing, the founder believes this method of 20/40/40, where the 20 refers to top management, 40 refers to the middle people where they do not move much and the other 40 refers to the people constantly coming in and out. When I mean out (more than 50% of them are laid off) Layoffs are ALWAYS happening, and I do not mean this in a "Oh it only happened once or twice". I mean layoffs are silently happening within the company pretty much every quarter. There is no policies or standard procedures on how they handle this. You'd just show up to work and get asked "Company is restructuring", however knowing that the work you are doing is CRITICAL, considering that you were just pulled into a meeting to handle other region's work because the sole person there decided to leave this toxic company. Hiring is happening all year round with insane deadline. You would have expected if a project has been ongoing for 3 months or longer, you'd be kept in the loop or what not. No. You're only looped into the email or whatnot when things are going south and your only purpose is to get looped in to be blamed on by the top management. Their favourite question "How is this issue only rising now" while it being addressed to you when you were only introduced this project less than 24 hours ago. If you're one of their people, your wish is literally their command. You want sign-on bonus? Sure, here's the bonus you shall get. Mind you, this is during the period where, "Bonus" is a myth within the company. But yet, the MD was able to convince the other department that this is a MUST to give? Not sure how that works. Salary distribution is also wildly fluctuated. Someone who is a fresh grad is getting paid a manager level salary working on roles that is not related to what they studied but because the Director liked this person, boom. The offer just came out at that amount, while there are others who have been working for the same role but longer gets paid WAY lower. Confidentiality? Not sure what is that within the company as people from other departments know your salary and is able to come up to you and discuss how would they spend that money.

Good coworkers, company provides equipment for work, declares that it encourages training.

Worst work experience of my life, where the lack of motivation and competence more than outweighs all the potential pluses of the company. Even though I haven't worked in the company for a year, I know what's going on because I communicate with my former colleagues. Lead is not competent. It's strange that he could get to that level. The management process was absolutely terrible, neither the lead nor my people partner called me during the whole time I was working. Which didn't stop them from firing me on the one day. Moreover, they are still recruiting in Russia, although the company denies this practice in every possible way, but at the time of writing this review, 13.12.24, the office in Perm is not only functioning but also recruiting employees. And this is a year after writing an article about continuing to recruit in Russia. You can see for yourself if you have a look at the LinkedIn of the company's employees. There are no raises in the company for more than 2 years, and if you received your salary in rubles, you can especially notice how it is rapidly decreasing day by day with no prospects for growth. The best department of the company is anti-crisis. If you want to find a place where you will not be appreciated - then Xsolla is your choice.

Great place if you want to grow technically. Always learning new things and they actually stay up to date with current tech. Teammates are mostly cool people. Not kiasu like other companies in Malaysia where everyone’s backstabbing each other. No micromanagement, very flexible. They care about what you deliver, not about watching you work.

Feel completely betrayed by senior management. They keep hiring VPs left and right with random job titles, then turn around and say “company’s not profitable” when it’s time for our bonuses and increments. Peanuts for us developers while they’re throwing money at executives. The audacity - right after telling us there’s no budget, they post job ads as the HIGHEST PAYING company for a data scientist role they’re hiring. Like? So there’s money for new hires and VPs but not for the people already here busting their bottoms? Makes you feel terrible as a developer. We’re the ones building the product but the budget apparently only exists for executives with overlapping roles and external talent. Zero respect for loyalty.

You’ll get paid well to witness a live-fire corporate experiment. Bring popcorn.

The company increasingly feels like a personal testing ground for the founder, Shurik Agapitov. Employee time, ideas, processes -- even basic stability seem to carry little to no weight in his decisions. Disagree with a directive or fail to deliver on something outside your actual role? Expect HR to show up and terminate your contract. Yes, you’ll likely receive compensation, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a powder keg. There’s been a hiring spree of Directors and VPs that borders on parody. If we don’t already have a VP of Coffee Brewing, it’s probably in the works. The individual responsible for these hires -- let’s call him Grubt “The Money Waster” Ways -- appears unsure of what he wants, and it shows. HR is fully occupied recruiting C-level talent that tends to resign within months without leaving a meaningful trace. Massive budgets are burned while technical departments fall into the red, unable to secure raises or competitive salaries. Meanwhile, trusted, experienced and competent people are walking away, unwilling to tolerate the chaos. The leadership circle hires friends from previous ventures who often contribute little -- some quite literally do nothing. The technical stack is in decay and largely abandoned, barely save for one functioning product: payments. Survival has become the unspoken priority. Be aware: the HR department functions more like a revolving door than a professional gatekeeper. Screening is superficial at best, and hiring decisions often appear based on vague impressions or internal politics rather than skill or fit. If you're looking for a quick paycheque, polish your LinkedIn, talk a good game during interviews, and don’t worry too much about actual qualifications -- they likely won’t be checked. Once hired, expect little in the way of onboarding, structure, or support. Just keep your resume updated, because odds are you’ll either burn out or be shown the door before you find your bearings.

You’ll get paid well to witness a live-fire corporate experiment. Bring popcorn.

The company increasingly feels like a personal testing ground for the founder, Shurik Agapitov. Employee time, ideas, processes -- even basic stability seem to carry little to no weight in his decisions. Disagree with a directive or fail to deliver on something outside your actual role? Expect HR to show up and terminate your contract. Yes, you’ll likely receive compensation, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a powder keg. There’s been a hiring spree of Directors and VPs that borders on parody. If we don’t already have a VP of Coffee Brewing, it’s probably in the works. The individual responsible for these hires -- let’s call him Grubt “The Money Waster” Ways -- appears unsure of what he wants, and it shows. HR is fully occupied recruiting C-level talent that tends to resign within months without leaving a meaningful trace. Massive budgets are burned while technical departments fall into the red, unable to secure raises or competitive salaries. Meanwhile, trusted, experienced and competent people are walking away, unwilling to tolerate the chaos. The leadership circle hires friends from previous ventures who often contribute little -- some quite literally do nothing. The technical stack is in decay and largely abandoned, barely save for one functioning product: payments. Survival has become the unspoken priority. Be aware: the HR department functions more like a revolving door than a professional gatekeeper. Screening is superficial at best, and hiring decisions often appear based on vague impressions or internal politics rather than skill or fit. If you're looking for a quick paycheque, polish your LinkedIn, talk a good game during interviews, and don’t worry too much about actual qualifications -- they likely won’t be checked. Once hired, expect little in the way of onboarding, structure, or support. Just keep your resume updated, because odds are you’ll either burn out or be shown the door before you find your bearings.