Belonging at Coinbase

We all belong in crypto

Our Strategy

Coinbase is a collection of wildly talented and wildly different individuals who #livecrypto. As a company we focus on the employee experience within our walls. We are committed to ensuring that every employee feels they belong and can do their best work.

Attract, support and retain diverse top talent

In order to improve representation, we partner with organizations to develop and attract the next generation of diverse crypto talent (some examples here and here). We invest in programming that fosters belonging for all employees, and focus specifically on programs that support employees from under-represented backgrounds. This includes funding and championing our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), offering coaching and development opportunities for diverse top talent, and embedding belonging and diversity throughout all of our manager trainings.

Ensure fair treatment in performance evaluation and pay

We are adamant about ensuring all employees are objectively and consistently evaluated and paid. We are proud of our leadership in eliminating negotiations in compensation to truly ensure fair pay, and seek to be a leader in our field by creating this kind of equity in the workplace. We also consistently monitor our hiring processes and promotion data to root out the potential for bias.

Leverage our diverse workforce to impact and advance business goals

For 2022, we are expanding our scope to explore exciting opportunities which impact and advance Coinbase's mission and goals. We plan to leverage our amazingly diverse workforce, whether that be through focus groups and case studies with the Product teams, or working with the Policy team to support their efforts to increase crypto education, access or other initiatives aimed at increasing economic freedom.

Our Employee Resource Groups

ERGs are a critical piece of Coinbase’s cultural fabric. ERGs celebrate our diversity and create additional channels to focus on what unites us: a shared sense of belonging and inclusion at Coinbase.

APAC

APAC’s goal is to foster a safe space for global and diverse Asian and Pacific Islander employees and allies, to celebrate cultural differences and revel in similarities.

ColorBlock

ColorBlock’s mission is to create a workplace that promotes racial inclusivity for Black and Brown employees within technology, cryptocurrency, and at Coinbase.

Pride

Pride’s mission is to build a safe, inclusive community for all colors of the rainbow, offering a platform for LGBTQ+ representation, awareness, and empowerment.

Thrive

Thrive’s mission is to empower, uplift, and advocate for neurodiverse and disabled employees, and their unique needs, while working to challenge ableism and eliminate harmful stigmas.

Womens ERG

WE@ is committed to cultivating brave space and empowering the personal and professional journeys of women at Coinbase.

UNIDOS

UNIDOS is focused on creating leadership, career growth, and community engagement opportunities for Hispanic & Latino employees at Coinbase.

SERVE

SERVE (Supporting Emergency Responder and Veteran Empowerment) is committed to creating a community of professional development and connection for veterans, military affiliates, emergency responders, and allies at Coinbase.

Coinbase Voices

A collection of employee stories that highlights the expertise of our Coinbase team and shares their journeys to crypto. Through Coinbase Voices, we’ll showcase the diverse backgrounds and individual experiences that have contributed to who our employees are today. Read the full stories on our blog.

Soon after college, I consulted for one of the world’s top banks. What I saw horrified me. Despite their dominance, their tech systems were a mess of spaghetti built over 40 years... It was clear to me that tech innovation would not come from our existing financial system.

Nemil Dalal

Head of Crypto

I wanted to help build something, and helping to build a new financial system for the world is about as exciting as it gets! I wish I’d known how new so many people here are to the crypto industry -- everyone is really happy to share knowledge and everyone is at a different stage of their crypto journey.

Georgie Harris

Senior Counsel (UK)

The most challenging thing about my Crypternship was that I had no prior knowledge on Blockchain Security. However, I hit the ground running and was able to learn so much every single day -- within the first few weeks I was able to ship a script that made an immediate impact on my team.

Wilman Garcia

Blockchain Security Engineer

If I truly believe that blockchain and digital currencies will change the world, what do I do with that knowledge? Do I continue to buy bitcoin and hope to get rich, or do I dive in and help build the future?

Trey Edwards

Associate Manager, Advocacy

I think what sets Coinbase apart for me is the winning combination of a solid business foundation, a very strong leadership team, and the excitement of hyper-growth. You don’t find this often. Being able to join this company and put your fingerprint on this growth and say, “Hey, I was the one who... moved this needle or helped jumpstart that initiative,” that’s such a rare and exciting opportunity.

Carolina Verdelho

Senior Manager, Engineering Recruiting

When I was ready to return to work (after having my second child), a recruiter introduced me to the opportunity at Coinbase. Once I heard the company name, I WAS IN! I mean, crypto was kinda my thing because of my earlier success investing in crypto, but funny enough, I never actually considered working in the industry.

Veronica Hash

Program Manager, Belonging@Coinbase

Featured Conversations

SERVE@Coinbase's Veterans Day Fireside Chat

Dive into the journeys of three veterans, Cicely Williams, Adam Bishop, and Philip Martin, that made their way from boots into the blockchain at Coinbase. Hosted by SERVE ERG lead, Greg Bachelor, the group discusses the challenges, pathways, and allies that helped them along the way

See more conversations here.

FAQ

How does a mission-first (“apolitical”) approach work alongside belonging, inclusion, and diversity?

Coinbase has an ambitious mission to increase economic freedom in the world. We believe the biggest impact we can have on the world is to be laser focused on achieving our mission. When we create a new financial system, more people - regardless of background, nationality, or other dimensions of diversity - will have access to greater opportunity.

We also believe that we can only achieve this audacious goal, if we have top talent in every seat innovating to make our mission a reality. To attract and retain top talent, Coinbase must be a place where people feel they belong and can do their best work, a place where people from all backgrounds contribute meaningfully.

Philosophically, our mission and objectives for BID are aligned. In practice, we focus on what unites us (our mission), establishing fair systems, and enabling formal and informal support and community for all employees, but especially those from under-represented backgrounds. As a company, we refrain from talking about politics or social causes, unrelated to our mission, as a group, but individually support employees on any need, regardless of the topic.

What does it mean to be remote-first and how does that increase diversity?

Remote first means that about 95% of roles at Coinbase can work from an office, from “home,” or a hybrid of the two. Previously, less than 1% of the world lived within commuting distance of one of our offices. Now we can cast a much wider net, including attracting top talent from more diverse talent pools. Over the last nine months, we’ve onboarded hundreds of employees from locations outside of the commute range of any of our existing offices, and that number is growing day over day. Read more about our journey here.

How do people connect at Coinbase?

Connection matters even more as we embrace being a decentralized workforce. It’s important for employees to build strong, positive connections with one another, whether they work together on a team, partner cross-functionally, or encounter one another casually in meetings and conversations. We support these connections in many ways: through the lens of our BID work with monthly Belonging & Culture meetings and Employee Resource Groups, which host monthly meetings, affinity celebrations and educational opportunities, through a virtual coffee stipend which encourages employees to meet with one another, through virtual regional and company-wide events, and through the sponsorship of team events, including everything from dedicated social time to bonding-focused offsites. And of course, we have hundreds of interest-based social Slack channels with focuses that range from parenthood to Peloton.