I’m really interested in hearing from people who are currently working as product designers at Figma. I want to get the inside scoop on what it’s actually like there day to day. How would you describe the overall team culture and atmosphere among designers? Are people generally happy and motivated or is morale pretty low? What about work life balance - do you feel like you can maintain healthy boundaries or are you expected to work crazy hours? I’m also curious about compensation and benefits. If you’ve worked at other big tech companies before, especially places like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, or Netflix, how does Figma stack up in comparison? Any insights would be super helpful as I’m considering making a move there.
Ex-Google designer here, been at Figma for 14 months. Biggest change? Decisions happen fast - no more endless committee meetings like big tech. Design reviews actually feel productive instead of political BS. Leadership listens when you push back on product stuff, which almost never happened at Google. Pay’s a bit lower than my Google offer, but the equity makes up for it. Benefits are good, just not quite FAANG good. What blew my mind was how much say designers have in tech decisions. Engineers actually ask us about API choices and performance stuff since what we build affects their whole setup. If you’re stuck somewhere design gets ignored, this’ll be a breath of fresh air.
What’s interesting about Figma as a workplace is how they handle internal tooling. I’ve worked at several big tech companies that struggle with design handoffs, feedback loops, and project management chaos.
Figma uses their own product, but most people don’t know how much they automate behind the scenes. Design reviews, asset management, stakeholder updates - all streamlined through automated workflows.
Work life balance depends on how efficiently your team operates. Teams that automate routine tasks (status updates, design system maintenance, feedback collection) have way better boundaries. Manual processes kill your evenings and weekends.
If you’re considering the move, think about optimizing your workflows there. Companies that let designers focus on actual design instead of administrative overhead are worth joining.
I’d set up automated systems for repetitive stuff from day one. Makes any workplace better when you’re not drowning in busywork.
Check out automation options at https://latenode.com
I switched from Amazon about 6 months ago and the feedback culture here is hands down the biggest change. Amazon was all about PR/FAQ docs and formal review cycles. Figma moves way faster - we do informal critique sessions and collaborate on designs in real-time. The learning curve hit harder than I expected since you’ve got to adapt fast without all that documentation backing you up. Pay-wise, base salary was a bit lower than Amazon, but the stock options and yearly refresh grants make up for it. Health benefits are solid, just not quite Amazon-level. What really surprised me was how much say designers have in hiring - we actually interview engineering candidates and get real input on team makeup. It gets intense during product launches, but it feels meaningful instead of just corporate BS. If you love ambiguous environments and want your design voice heard at the exec level, it’s worth making the jump.
I joined Figma 8 months ago from a traditional enterprise software company, so I’ve got a different perspective than the usual FAANG folks here. The design team actually feels collaborative instead of competitive - honestly such a relief after my last job. Most days I work normal hours, like 9-6 with flexibility, though we get busy around major releases. Comp was competitive with what I saw elsewhere, and the equity feels meaningful given where the company’s headed. What really stands out is the autonomy - way less micromanagement than I expected for a company this size. Since the product is literally a design tool, everyone gets and values good design process. Makes working with PMs and engineers way smoother than anywhere I’ve been.
switched from apple 2 years ago - the design-to-ship timeline here is crazy fast compared to big tech bureaucracy. at apple, everything needed months of approvals. here we prototype and test ideas the same week. learning opportunities are endless since you’re building tools other designers actually use. it’s meta but really cool seeing your work impact the entire design community.
been at figma 18 months now, came from startups. growth’s been crazy good - tons of chances to grab bigger projects and actually shape product direction. remote-first culture works great, no bs about being in the office all the time. pay bumps r fair and they’re upfront about how to move ur career. only complaint is decisions drag with so many stakeholders in the mix.