Culture of Nepotism, Alcoholics, and Cliques - Software Engineer Block Employee Review

1.0
Feb 9, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I met some great coworkers here.

Cons

Compared to their peers, Block pays below average. Their refreshers are roughly around 5-15% instead of the standard 25% of your initial offer. I know people who got $6k/yr grant as a refresher vs the expected $20k+/yr grant as a refresher (for their respective level). Block's culture is rampant with alcoholism and cliques. When we were still in the office, they had a weekly meeting on the rooftop where all the "old guard" (actually what they called themselves) would grab a beer and drink. They were all white males and not very inclusive of others. Managers were also especially bad about this - they would regularly skip meetings with people to go out to the Market for a beer run and drink with one another during company hours. Register and Cash are fighting with one another internally - Cash keeps cannibalizing the rest of Block by literally poaching other Block employees (sometimes to the point of starting the poaching right after someone joins Block). The company also has a history of rewarding Nepotism. People who have tenure or have special connections continue to be rewarded despite not delivering results. Managers are able to make up metrics and lie about their directs. They also don't undergo training and several managers contribute to an abusive culture. HR isn't there to help you - they will only cover for the manager.

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Block Response
4y
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. At Block, we aim to create an environment where people can join, grow, and thrive professionally. To that end, we encourage a creative, diverse, and supportive work environment. If you would like to share additional information and feedback, please contact us at glassdoor@squareup.com and we will take appropriate action.

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5.0
Jun 23, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

Great team culture, product, leadership, and customer centricity

Cons

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5.0
Sep 26, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of benefits. Gym, free food, showers, Close to transit Good food Good software practices Is this twenty words yet

Cons

I would say that there aren't any cons really. I'm just trying to fill this space with 20 words

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