The MasterCard IPS group is a sweat shop full of incompetent management - Senior Software Engineer Mastercard Employee Review

2.0
May 17, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There is MCU, MasterCard University, where you can learn about processing and the payments industry. There are some competent and committed people with whom to work. The facilities are OK, with the big gym and decent dining hall.

Cons

The benefits are not that great, especially the medican and dental. There is a group of folks at MasterCard who have been there for 10 years or more. That is an elitist club. They do very little work and put the onus of all the real work onto the new employees. These employees don't get the pension (like the ol' timers still get), don't get the recognition, and get very little thanks and praise. In the IPS group, especially, much of the real work is done by outsourcing it to onshore and offshore contractors.

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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