Get in the clique - Software Engineer PayPal Employee Review

2.0
Jan 6, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The pay was pretty great for a starting developer. Also stock options.

Cons

Everything else was absolutely terrible. Cliques form and if your not in the clique then come "calibration" month, expect to be dinged for the most asinine things. Watched 2 people get fired because they were in the longue room and were 5 minutes late to a meeting... A meeting even the manager came in late to... cause he was in the lounge...and that's how he knew those two people were there. Yeah. The entire establishment is "rules for thee, not for me". Got out as soon as I saw what was going on to my coworkers and never looked back. Read up on stacked ranking and calibrations. PayPal VERY AGGRESSIVELY pits their own employees against each other and the managers sit back and joke about it. They think its funny and game.

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
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.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All