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      PayPal

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      PayPal reviews

      Avoid At All Costs - Software Engineer PayPal Employee Review

      1.0
      May 3, 2016
      Software engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The gym is pretty nice. I have nothing else to put here but need to write this to meet the 20 word minimum.

      Cons

      Everything else is terrible. Middle Management is concerned only with building their fiefdoms. Rather than work together, managers will sabotage the work of others if they feel threatened or overshadowed. This is not a company that you want to go to if you want to work to make things better or have any ideals beyond making your manager look good in PayPal's Game of Thrones managerial culture. Not only that, but every single business process internally is broken. The company runs everything on rushed artificial deadlines, resulting in tech-debt ridden software that is in constant need of replacement. When it does get replaced, it's replaced by yet another rushed out and tech-debt ridden solution. This is compounded by poor hiring standards resulting in sub-standard developers writing terrible code with little oversight and no code review. But who has time to review code when this feature needs to be rushed out by tomorrow? There are so many better companies to work for out there that there's no reason to come here. Leaving was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. I look back on my time in horror. It's like having left an abusive relationship. I still find myself stopping, shuddering, and then releasing a huge sigh of relief that I no longer work here.

      avatar
      PayPal Response
      9y
      Wow. It sounds like leaving was the really the right decision for you and I applaud you for taking that step. I have a fundamental leadership philosophy that people should love their work. We spend so much time working that it’s important to find a place where there is a good fit, and clearly PayPal was not the right fit for you. However, I don't think that is true for most who work here. The PayPal you describe is not the PayPal I know. I’ve been working here for 4 years, and I acknowledge that we have work to do across the company to make things better. And I feel really good knowing that we are putting significant effort into making the right changes to create the best possible culture. I am proud to work in a collaborative, innovative and inclusive environment. I hope that you have found a new job that you love and I thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.

      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
      Director of business operations
      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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