Good W/L balance, but lack of direction - Senior Software Engineering Manager PayPal Employee Review

3.0
Aug 1, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

PayPal had good diversity, a good team, easy people to work with, a friendly environment, good remote flexibility, and competitive pay scales. As a "diverse" person myself, I will say I felt very supported and accepted.

Cons

PayPal's internal technology has badly ossified and changing things is nearly impossible. Movement is slow and extremely non-agile. I was part of a team acquired in a merger with a startup. In that acquisition we went from fast exciting work with a clear direction to months and even years of stagnation with almost no progress on anything. PayPal clearly didn't know what to do with either our technology or our talent. Also, I hate to say it but management became much less product- and goal-driven, and much more political, nepotistic, and focussed entirely on short-term investment returns. Promotions and raises depended very heavily on who had personal relationships and past history with higher management. Layoffs, the same.

Explore other reviews about PayPal

5.0
May 15, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good company to work for, good work life balance

Cons

They should have more developers than other titles.

2.0
Apr 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

PayPal has a lot of potential. It has two very strong brands in PayPal and Venmo with significant awareness and user bases that other companies envy. There are pockets of teams that are really pushing the envelop to reimagine what PayPal and Venmo could be—especially the Venmo team—and to move with speed given the company must stay focused and not waste time with Apple Pay, Shop Pay, and so many other competitors nipping at PayPal's heels and aggressively taking market share.

Cons

While some teams are pushing to self-disrupt and are moving fast, too many teams—and I'd argue the majority of the company–are living off of PayPal's laurels from the late 2010s through the pandemic. The culture and mindset have to change for the company to remain competitive. Otherwise, they are the Titanic and they're sinking slowly. The former CEO who only last 2 years tried diversifying the company's revenue, planning for the future. But the board and its former chairman (now new CEO) felt he wasn't moving fast enough to stabilize and marketshare. Instead, the board hired the former chairman who made computers and printers at HP—another sinking ship—to lead the oldest fintech company. The loss of confidence in the leadership team and the strategy are only accelerating.

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