Good pay, Not so good culture - Anonymous employee Mastercard Employee Review

2.0
Jan 13, 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Good pay package (I guess thats the only reason people stay) - Good benefits - Flex timings.

Cons

- Slow work env. Some departments in OnT works like some under-developed country government. - Company is hugely dependent on contractors. And contractor's dont care of deliverable. They only care of 9-5 and their payment. Quality and timely deliverables are mostly headache of tech leads. - Tech leads are being treated as Punch bags. Anything goes wrong, bring in tech lead and drop everything on him/her. At least in my team. There is no one answerable for anything other then tech leads. SSE's, SE's are just there for technical writing for the day and go home without any worries, since they do not have to answer to anyone. - Huge disconnect between decision makers and grass root level employees. - Executives makes changes every year by their own instincts. Or some new executive joins and tries to make changes like Amazon or Apple, without understanding the dynamics of teams. Specially in OnT. - Favoritism is important. If you are your manager's favorite and can do pep talks, you grow. Another issue is Global mobility department. They keep you on edge all the time. Never provides timely or proper updates. They don't like it if you follow up and expect rude responses. I am still not clear what is the role of HR in this org. They only talk to employees through managers. If you are not happy with your manager, only way is change role or job. - There is a great concept of smart move which organization promotes. But, if you apply for smart move to some other location or country, you are immediately being shot down stating no budget. Why do you promote something if you want to shut down anyways?

Explore other reviews about Mastercard

5.0
May 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great culture. Stable. Analytical and rewarding if you find the right product.

Cons

Slower career growth. Not as influential

4.0
May 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Mastercard does a great job fostering an inclusive and supportive environment. There are genuinely good people throughout the organization, and leadership often invests in employee engagement through events, recognition, and culture-building initiatives. I enjoyed many of the relationships I built while working there, and there are teams that truly care about collaboration and supporting one another.

Cons

Compensation at the director level did not feel competitive compared to the level of responsibility expected. Career advancement can also be extremely challenging due to how top-heavy the organization is with senior leadership roles. There are a large number of Senior Vice Presidents, sometimes without clear scope or experience aligned to the title, which creates limited room for high-performing employees to grow. At times, it felt like senior leaders were being hired primarily to manage or communicate with other senior leaders, rather than drive meaningful operational impact. In product and go-to-market roles especially, priorities are often heavily driven by funding decisions. It can be frustrating when projects suddenly shift in importance or remain underfunded for long periods of time while awaiting senior leadership review. This sometimes leaves highly talented employees in limbo, unable to move initiatives forward despite strong momentum or market opportunity. The organization can also be very comfortable with the status quo, which creates a slower pace that many employees seem accustomed to. For people who are highly motivated and eager to drive change, it can feel difficult to navigate the number of roadblocks and layers of approval required to move initiatives forward.

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