Great Place to Work - Senior Software Engineer CarGurus Employee Review

4.0
Sep 13, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Top-of-market pay. Good benefits. Free parking is a nice touch - Free lunch is very cushy - Good snacks with healthy options - Automotive market is extremely lucrative and company is positioned for high potential - While it's not a company where you could sit down with anyone and start a conversation, folks are nice and happy to be here - Although the team doesn't always do things the right way, the team is fairly senior and doesn't need too much convincing if you know a better way to do things - My manager/lead is very on-top of things and understanding of tradeoffs - Minimal micromanagement - Tolerable amounts of tech debt. While I'm running into lots of "we really shouldn't be doing it like this" moments in general the team is on-board with changes and no single problem is so bad that it is unsolvable - Work-life balance is great. I have been able to leave my laptop at work most days (have brought it home when I had some late risky deploys going out that I wanted to be able to follow-up on) - Really solid place for top performers. Lots of opportunities for growth and making an impact. Low-pressure, high-reward environment is really refreshing and the company works hard to help you focus on what matters most

Cons

- Work isn't terribly exciting but could be in a few years. Lots of helping the company dig itself out of holes. I was a bit surprised to find that the scale of our problems was significantly lower than other smaller companies I've worked for - E-mail is a total joke in Engineering. Spammed to death by bots to the point where all of my info needs to come through Slack or in-person. Office 365 for everything is also a real pain - On-boarding was a bit chaotic - I'm a little tipped from training, but the company culture and values statements are pretty weak and generic. The company allegedly came up with them only a few years ago and is trying to force them into the day-to-day for the sake of it. In my frank opinion - the company is just a good working culture; producing results and getting things done but keeping a steady pace and taking care of its employees along the way - Coming from startups I was pretty frustrated by how much was gated off that I had to figure out how to get access to, but things are good now - Technical skill level and care is a few steps lower than what I'm used to. As someone who is highly experienced with the tooling we're using this isn't a problem for me but this may be a poor place to learn how to do things the right way. On the other hand, it's a good place to execute and get the company to doing things the right way. Playing the role of technical babysitter gets old though - Haven't seen any high-level plans of what we're doing and why. Again, maybe there's town halls and all that being planned, but cross-company communication is very poor - Not a huge con, but I wish there were more social groups - I'd like to see more diversity amongst the team

Explore other reviews about CarGurus

5.0
Jun 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Having completed my first three months as a Senior Engineering Manager, my experience has been very positive so far. Excellent Culture: The organization fosters a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive culture where people are encouraged to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and work together toward common goals. Leadership is approachable, and there is a strong focus on transparency and continuous improvement. Great Team: I have had the opportunity to work with a highly talented, knowledgeable, and supportive team. Everyone is willing to help, share expertise, and contribute to collective success, making onboarding and collaboration seamless. Technology-Forward and Innovation-Driven, The company embraces modern technologies and remains technology-agnostic, selecting the best tools and platforms for the problem at hand rather than being tied to specific vendors. The organization is proactive in exploring emerging technologies, including cloud, platform engineering, and AI, which creates an exciting environment for learning and innovation. Overall, my first three months have reinforced that this is a great place to grow professionally while working on meaningful and technically challenging initiatives.

Cons

The hybrid work model requires employees to be in the office three days per week, which may not suit everyone. However, I personally appreciate the opportunity to collaborate face-to-face, build relationships, and connect with colleagues. Combined with the office perks and supportive environment, I do not currently have any major cons to report.

2.0
May 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice office environment with free food and drinks available. The gym and company perks are a nice bonus. There are also some genuinely good people on the team who make the workplace more enjoyable.

Cons

Management can feel overly political, and some managers appear to give more attention and opportunities to favorites rather than treating employees consistently. While the company talks about supporting mental health, the day-to-day culture does not always reflect that message. There is also growing uncertainty about long-term job stability as AI becomes more integrated into the work.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All