Avoid at All Costs - Software Engineer XYB Employee Review

If you want a comfy, slow-moving corporate gig where you can coast—this is not the place for you. XYB is in full build mode, and the energy is palpable. It’s the kind of company where you can get your hands dirty, make real decisions, and actually see your work shape the future of financial tech. Smart, ambitious people who know their stuff and don’t waste time with fluff. Leadership that’s transparent, engaged, and actually listens (yes, really). A platform that’s redefining composability in banking—this isn’t just another SaaS rebrand. Plenty of ownership; if you see a problem, you can run with it. Work-life balance isn’t a myth here, even with the fast pace.

It’s a startup—things move fast, and sometimes you just have to figure it out as you go. If you need a 50-page onboarding manual and step-by-step guidance, you might struggle.

A handful of strong individual contributors doing their best in an impossible environment.

The company is fundamentally held back by disorganised and toxic leadership, especially from the American contingent. Strategic direction changes all the time with no clear plan, no validated customer demand, and little to show after more than a year of development. There is no funding runway and no communication about what comes next. Employees are kept in dark until things reach crisis. It creates constant anxiety internally. The executive team is deeply toxic. The UK side doesn’t do much, while “leadership” from the US side brings a very different tone - one that feels dismissive, rude, political, and at extremely toxic. Decisions are made without context, and accountability is nonexistent. It makes people feel gaslighted, unsafe psychologically and unable to do their best work. We heard that the American side of the business could tank a deal with being rude to customers and then blame others. No accountability. Toxic. The CEO does not provide direction or urgency. The lack of clarity trickles down and leaves teams guessing what matters week to week. Despite big claims about customers wanting to sign up, there are still no customers at all. , and the lack of traction is increasingly impossible to ignore.