So bad I had to quit - Glassdoor rating of 1.9 for my department - Senior Staff Software Engineer Visa Inc. Employee Review

1.0
4 Feb 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Well known world wide brand name. Marketing makes deals with fun corporations so there are opportunities to get tickets to movies and sporting events. If you negotiate well (and you have to negotiate, I mean REALLY negotiate, because they will try to lowball you), your pay can be great.

Cons

Horrible, horrible place to work. It is like a caste system. If you're Indian or white male there is room to grow. If you're not, you will be assumed incompetent until you have to prove yourself, but are never given the opportunity to prove yourself. People brown nose up, and don't care about their direct reports. The Sr. Directors / VP levels, and the administrative staff working for the higher ups think they are holier than thou. You're more likely to get ignored or even mocked rather then get help to achieve your personal, professional and corporate goals. The Indian managers seem to care about growing their personal empires of employees: they want bodies not skilled workers. Not sure if that is true for the non-Indian male managers. Female managers? They're relegated to QA only I think.

Explore other reviews about Visa Inc.

5.0
23 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Agile for its size and age

Cons

Difficult industry to navigate. New competition.

2.0
25 June 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Excellent work-life balance, strong 401(k) match, and generally good benefits. There are smart, hardworking people across the company from all walks of life, and the Visa name still carries weight on a resume.

Cons

The work-life balance comes with a tradeoff: innovation moves at a glacial pace. In my experience, Visa was a highly political organization where visibility and relationships often mattered more than performance. Career growth felt slow, especially for high-performing mid-career employees looking to expand their scope or take ownership. There was constant organizational churn. In two years, I had three managers and made it through multiple reorgs, but our entire team lived in constant fear of ongoing layoffs. Layoffs and restructuring felt far more common than leadership acknowledged, which created a disconnect between company messaging and employee reality. The lack of trust for executive leadership is readily apparent across all internal channels. My org was not particularly valued, compensation lagged the market, and the return-to-office rollout was/continues to be handled poorly and rigidly. If you're looking for stability, predictable work, and reasonable hours, Visa can be a good fit. If you're a high performer looking for speed, creativity, ownership, and growth, there are better places to spend your time (and your paycheck will probably be higher).

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