So much opportunity, so little execution - Group Product Manager PayPal Employee Review

3.0
Sep 10, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

PayPal has a unique opportunity to become the world's favorite way to pay and be paid. It can enter into any financial service, it can offer all sorts of payment products and enhancements, like offers, discounts, loyalty, big data. Past management has dragged their feet, but new leaders promise a start-up and experimental approach that bodes well.

Cons

PayPal has terrible hiring and people management practices, which results in lousy managers hiring huge numbers of lousy people. There exist massive departments filled with friends of friends, most of whom do little work. Years of poor management means that these departments grow regularly every year. There is very little path to promotion from within, because leadership does not seek to groom talent, but hires director-and-up positions from outside.

Explore other reviews about PayPal

5.0
May 7, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good work life balance. Lot of opportunities to learn

Cons

Company is in transition mode

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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