- Danny Eng was poached by Affirm to create a buy now, pay later card in 2021.
- Eng previously worked at Credit Karma, where he led key projects and had a positive experience.
- Affirm offered Eng a management position with a salary increase, and he is happy with his decision.
This essay as told is based on a conversation with Danny Eng, a 29-year-old product manager in San Francisco. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I’ve been working in tech for over a decade, starting as an intern. I’ve worked at companies like Nvidia and Electronic Arts, in health tech, gaming, and AI, and even sold a startup to Airbnb. I had no idea that I would end up in financial technology.
My first foray into fintech was a friend’s referral to Credit karmawho hired me as a product manager in 2019. I’m Canadian and I didn’t even have a degree credit score when I started there. I quickly learned that the United States runs on credit and that financial literacy is an issue.
While working at Credit Karma, my team created a product called Credit Karma Money and scaled it to a few million users. I also managed fraud, customer experience and growth and was responsible for key acquisition projects for Intuit buys the company for $7 billion.
I worked at Credit Karma for 2 and a half years and was pretty happy
The market was doing well and many of us were semi-retired. I was making about six figures when I left.
After more than two years at Credit Karma, manager at Affirm contacted me on LinkedIn about an open position. They shared their perspectives on the company’s culture and expectations over three calls. I didn’t hesitate to answer these calls: it was common to compare offers and understand where the industry was heading. The hiring process was rather informal.
When considering a new job, I typically look for three things: a good salary at an exciting company, opportunities for growth, and a balance that fits my life well. Credit Karma initially offered all three, but as the company grew, the team got bigger, which was less appealing, and my growth stagnated. I was ready to move when Affirm contacted me and offered me all three.
Affirm hired me to create its buy now, pay later card from scratch
I truly believed in the company’s mission to help the underbanked. The expectation was that I would get my hands dirty, build a team from scratch, and launch it. The pressure was on and I enjoyed the challenge.
I joined the company in June 2021. Even though Affirm is a large company, the project seemed as innovative as a startup.
Although I loved my time at Credit Karma, I was happy to have been poached
When you are poachedit’s usually because of a specific experience or skill, and mine was creating financial card products for people that the big banks largely forget about.
I was also happy that it allowed me to focus and develop my career’s mission: to contribute to people’s financial progress.
I was promoted to founder and senior product developer and, depending on the stock price, made two to four times as much as before. It was a good financial decision to move.
Being poached has its fair share of challenges
Expectations tend to be higher when you join a company that poached you. Typically, this is because they have targeted you for specific reasons and skills, so the learning curve should be shorter. It is also crucial to avoid sharing confidential information.
Leaving Credit Karma was not difficult because its philosophy is: “We don’t expect you to stay here forever. » Leaders simply hope that you will have learned as much as possible and made the most of your experience by the time you leave. Many former team members and colleagues knew I was going and everyone was happy for me. I still hang out with a lot of my old colleagues.
Moving from one company to another was an invaluable learning experience
I have no regrets in life. There were great things about Credit Karma that forever shaped me as a better product manager, leader, and founder.
Affirm allows me to do my best, help as many people as possible and do it remotely. It is an absolute privilege to have these technological opportunities.
Have you been poached and want to share your story? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com.