Not to commit an ad hominem, but I don't see tech-driven founders and/or a very strong engineering culture.
I don't know much about the day-to-day culture of Wealthfront itself, but if it's anything like the teams these folks ran while I was around with them, they have a pretty rigorous mindset that applies all aspects of the product – product, design, and engineering.
My impression, just from looking at that page and knowing the four whom I know, is that it's a pretty legit blend of folks who really know finance led by strong technical product management.
Betterment is utterly awesome. Truly a product I'd expect to see from an innovative fintech startup.
Wealthfront is... not.
Betterment seems utterly awesome. Truly a product I'd expect to see from an innovative fintech startup. Wealthfront did not.
It was clear that Betterment cared about making a beautiful consumer-driven product. It was also clear that they've spent some time reimagining how personal finance works. Simplifying it.
I also can't help but note that the fact that Betterment made me so excited (it really did) so quickly probably speaks very well of it. But then again, I'm a sample of 1.
(Incidentally, I read your HN profile and rather liked the story in your 'about')
If Wealthfront really wants to prove that it's tech-driven, it should stop sharing technical knowledge[1] and organize more hackathons. Preferably hackathons in which the beer and laptop stickers flow freely.
I think this phrase should be singled out and praised for introducing the word "lumbersexual" to our tech discourse.