AUTO1 — Behind the scenes

Founded: 2012
Tech stack: Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python
Employees(#): 3000 (160 techies)
Headquarters: Berlin

How did Auto1’s journey begin?

The mission to create a trusted & transparent marketplace for mobility started in 2012, when one of AUTO1 founders, Christian, tried to sell his grandmother’s car. Together with Hakan he kicked-off one of the most successful startups in Europe — AUTO1 — a company which runs activities in more than 30 countries worldwide today.

What do you do and makes your service exciting?

AUTO1.com is a marketplace for used cars that enables private customers as well as professional partners to trade seamlessly. Technology and data are the cornerstones of this marketplace. The uniqueness of this marketplace as much as the nature of the object of trade create challenges every day. Cars have hundreds of data points that drive buying and selling decisions in the most different ways. Building a platform that supports the vast variety of this data and enables these decisions of customers and the traders is a “never seen before” for almost everyone involved in building it. Selling 2000 of one thing might not a big deal for an ecommerce platform. Selling 2000 of one thing that can cost up to 100.000€ and weighs an average 1.5 tons is suddenly a different game!

What kind of talent are you looking for?

Our main tech stacks are built around PHP, Java and Javascript, those are supported by a devops team and accompanied by Mobile engineers. We’re looking mostly for senior engineers and seasoned experts, but are very open for smart and fast-learning people earlier in their careers. If you like fast-paced environments, are flexible, proactive and a quick learner you are perfect talent to us.

Can you describe the work environment at AUTO1?

Especially in Tech at AUTO1 the atmosphere is very much startup like. We embrace communication and collaboration between the teams, that is why open spaces are a must for us. The team is very international, we have colleagues from over 55 nationalities. The work environment is fast-paced and ambitious, and for sure exciting. We need people who are curious and want to experiment with new technologies in order to overcome unsolved challenges.

What growth opportunities do you offer to your employees?

Company growth enables people growth. Within AUTO1 there are plenty of possibilities to grow, professionally and personally, vertically or horizontally. We’re shaping individual solutions for growth based upon the career archetypes individual contributor and engineering leader. These individual plans are enabled and supported by regular feedback talks to ensure that that individual and company goals align and the individual plan is on track. Besides that, we foster a culture of learning at AUTO1, that is why we also provide an yearly education budget.

What’s the tech scene like in Germany? Are you happy to have started AUTO1 there?

Germany has a very rich tradition in engineering. Made in Germany is an appreciated statement known all over the world. While the old economy is delving largely in the southern parts of the country, Berlin with its three large universities and a plethora of young people from all over the World is exactly the kind of melting pot you need to build a diverse, rich and lively tech scene. While Berlin sometimes seems to lack the large and visionary, world changing projects mushrooming in silicon valley, the engineering culture in Berlin is a mix of being anchored around “doing things proper and structured” and a multinational, multi-stacked approach to almost anything imaginable. Don’t be surprised if you find portuguese-chinese react-for-hadoop meetup coming up in your neighbourhood’s coworking space. And then there’s Club Mate. The amount and potential of talent in Berlin is absolutely amazing and unmatched by any other city in regards of what we’re looking out for. Building AUTO1.com in Berlin and not in another German city was a conscious decision taken by the founders and we’re very happy with it.

Prove that you’re The One. What would attract candidates to work for you?

Other than “the next Uber, but for” or “like amazon, but for” we’re the ones who actually disrupt the used car market. Building a technical platform which in reality changes the way of how cars get traded is a unique chance for almost everyone. Leaving a mark is not just a phrase, it is something we want to ensure for everyone who brings passion, creativity and spirit to AUTO1. Being part of this journey is challenging, but you will get rewarded with an outstanding learning curve and a true milestone in your career.