Backend Engineer, Whatnot
Commerce
$185-245k
Salary shown for US-based applicants, other locations may vary. + Stock options
Live stream platform & marketplace
Job no longer available
Live stream platform & marketplace
1001+ employees
Job no longer available
$185-245k
Salary shown for US-based applicants, other locations may vary. + Stock options
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 on Formats, you should have 5+ years of full-time software engineering experience in high growth startups, plus:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent work experience
- Expert at designing and building scalable and maintainable backend systems
- Knowledge of multiple programming languages (we primarily use Python, Elixir, JavaScript - knowledge of these in particular not required)
- Ability to pick up on new technologies very quickly
- Excellent product instincts. You first think about users rather than the best technical solution
- You are known for shipping products and features lightning-fast
- You’re an excellent problem solver and don’t need to be told exactly what to do
- You can mentor others and prioritize building inclusive, supportive teams
- Project owner - you have strong ownership instincts and can own projects from inception to production and beyond
What the job involves
- The Commerce teams work on different aspects of buying and selling on Whatnot. From our auctions and product experience to our seller experience and fulfillment processes, these teams are deeply connected with the foundations of our business and unlock tremendous growth while creating exciting new ways for our users to transact
- We are a fullstack team and work across a wide surface of our product to create full-featured end to end user experiences. We rely on all of our team members to have a strong product sense and to deeply understand our users in the work they do
- We’re looking for a backend engineer with both a strong systems background and the ability to ship high quality code quickly. You should excel at making the right tradeoffs between building it fast and building it right
- We’ll often prototype new ideas quickly and then need to build them for extreme scale while coordinating closely with other teams - the ideal person for this role is an expert at both of these approaches
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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