This is interesting detail, but it doesn't sound like it requires hundreds of engineers. Most of this seems like relatively common functionality (processing pay

This is interesting detail, but it doesn't sound like it requires hundreds of engineers. Most of this seems like relatively common functionality (processing payments) with heavy regionalization. None of this is cutting edge work. Knowledge resources and experienced people would be widely available for all of it. It seems hard to understand why maintaining this system, even with the number of locations and users, would require more than 100 pure software engineers (thinking ~10 teams of 10, at most). I'm never sure how much Parkinson's Law is at play with startup hiring in general. But I guess most engineers they hire provide value to the company at least equivalent to their salary.