endless parade of "leaders" - Manager PayPal Employee Review

2.0
6 Feb 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

> most managers try to make sure you maintain a good work/life balance > lot of flexility as far as working from home/remotely

Cons

If you are a UE/UX designer (UI, visual design, content, user research) this is NOT the place for you. Despite some job postings and/or reviews to the contrary, if you're looking to do some really interesting work and grow as a designer do NOT work for PayPal. > an endless parade of "leaders" has driven this company in general, and the UED team in particular, right into the ditch. They've tried to reboot this team so many times b/c the senior leadership is totally incompetent. > your work will not be recognized, rewarded, or celebrated. > you will be moved on to projects and into verticals regardless of any interest you have expressed or career goals you have. > IF your manager actually bothers to set goals with/for you, how you do on those goals will generally be ignored when evaluations occur. > evaluations are generally a popularity contest and are based more on how hard your manager fights for you then the work you actually did or how you did against your goals. > an absurd amount of money will be spent on pointless schwag and company celebrations rather than on salaries, team offsites/team building, or things that most people generally consider "useful." You will also find yourself wondering why you would possibly need another cheap plastic water bottle rather than some actual decent advertising that could bring in more revenue or positive attention. > right about the time you finally get an org chart and start to get a good sense of how the team is structured, sr management will conduct a 're-org' and change it. you can expect this to happen on an annual basis, if not more frequently. > as part of the recurring re-orgs you will be moved to yet another manager, again with little to no concern for any relationship you have established.

Explore other reviews about PayPal

5.0
7 May 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
13 Apr 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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