Backend Engineer, Whatnot
Community
$185-245k
+ Stock Options. Salary applicable to US locations only
Live stream platform & marketplace
Job no longer available
Live stream platform & marketplace
1001+ employees
Job no longer available
$185-245k
+ Stock Options. Salary applicable to US locations only
1001+ employees
Company mission
To enable anyone to turn their passion into a business and bring people together through commerce.
Role
Who you are
- As our next backend engineer, you should have 5+ years of full-time software engineering experience in high growth startups
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent work experience
- Backend Expertise: Proven track record of designing and building highly scalable, maintainable systems in multiple languages (we use Python, Elixir, JavaScript, but no specific language is required). Experience with performant, real-time systems such as chat, auctions, and multiplayer games is a preferred
- Product Instinct: Excel at translating user needs to effective technical solutions
- Problem Solving: Thrive in ambiguity and tackle challenging problems with autonomy
- Team Leadership: Mentor others and foster inclusive, supportive team culture
- Ownership Mindset: Own projects holistically from inception to production and beyond. You are known for shipping products and features lightning-fast
What the job involves
- As part of the Community team, you will build the social aspects of WhatNot that foster lasting connections between sellers and buyers. Meaningful connections are crucial for buyer retention and are a primary driver for WhatNot’s business
- We are a fullstack team that owns end-to-end product experiences including live shows, chatting, messaging, user profiles, tipping, and social sharing. You will drive building new strategic initiatives, scaling our existing experiences, and prototyping ideas to inform our roadmap
- As a foundational members of our BE team, you will strike the right balance between building with speed, product impact, and technical excellence. Our products include real-time user interactions and critical monetization flows, so you will design with high concurrency, low latency, and stability in mind
Our take
Live shopping is changing the way people engage with eCommerce and Whatnot is one of the key platforms driving this shift. The company operates across the US, UK, and Europe, where millions of people connect each day to buy, sell, and build communities around shared interests.
Founded in 2019, Whatnot allows real-time auctions where buyers can watch sellers showcase products and share their expertise, creating a more interactive and personal shopper experience. Sellers include individual creators and small businesses who use live shows to reach audiences and grow their online presence.
As of 2025, the company reports over $6B in sales, with sellers earning significantly more on average than other major marketplaces. And with a range of investor support, Whatnot is committed to developing new ways to make online shopping more social and community-driven.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
54% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 8 rounds)
Oct 2025
$225m
SERIES F
Jan 2025
$265m
SERIES E
Total funding: $974.2m
Company benefits
- Wellness: Health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans. We also cover some of the cost for your dependents as well.
- Compensation: Generous compensation, including a competitive base salary and equity. Whatnot offers monthly reimbursement for internet and phone costs, along with a one-time home office set-up allowance. Whatnot offers a pension plan and matches employee contributions of up to 4% of the employee’s base salary.
- Recharge: Whatnot gives you the freedom to take time off as you see fit. And, we take company-wide Winter and Summer breaks so we can recharge. Whatnot provides a monthly allowance for wellness expenses. We know that to take care of our customers, we have to take care of ourselves. Supplemental health and life insurance coverage comes standard at Whatnot. 16 weeks of paid parental leave, and an additional one-month gradual return-to-work period.* Plus an additional childcare allowance, and a lifetime allowance for family planning, including adoption and fertility expenses. *The leave allowances provided by Whatnot may be dictated / informed by your country’s legal requirements,
- Flexibility: As a remote co-located team, we’re inspired by innovation and anchored in our values. With hubs in the US, UK, Germany, Ireland, and Poland, we’re building the future of online marketplaces –together.
Company values
- Always listen to customers
- Move uncomfortably fast
- Prioritize impact ruthlessly
- Own everything and nothing
- Set crazy goals
- Provide extreme transparency
- Optimize for the upside
- Team over ego
- Figure it out
- Deeply understand why
- Have fun & be kind
Company HQ
Venice, Los Angeles, CA
Articles
Leadership
Grant LaFontaine
(Co-Founder & CEO)Former Product Marketing Manager at Google, Project Manager at Facebook. Also co-founded Kit.
Logan Head
(Co-Founder & CTO)Experience in Engineering, including at Maker's Row, Factr, and Flight Club. Former Senior Product Manager at GOAT.
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