It's High School - Senior Level Employee Mastercard Employee Review

2.0
Aug 11, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great facilities, very social, good equipment, encourage collaboration and innovation. Constantly changing technology so there's plenty to learn and play with, but solid ground is hard to find. If you can handle doing everything yourself and managing yourself and your career, you may have a chance.

Cons

It's high school. Cliques, sniping, gossipy. Management is constantly screwing with people. Nothing is good enough. "Oh great job, now I want more" is the prevailing attitude, and if you screw up, you're in the doghouse forever. I'm not racist or sexist, but if you're a white man you have no chance. And, if you are pushing late 50's they will do their best to push you out. Read the reviews, interns love the place, established pros are quite negative. And, if you apply to other positions and your mgr doesn't want to lose you or dislikes you they will give a review of you that would be illegal on the outside. Management is contentious as they all try and scramble to make each other look bad. I was there for 9 years and watched the attitudes of employees decline rapidly. The place will consume your life. And it's really a shame since there is so much potential. They want to be a technology company, but they still act like a little fish.

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5.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Technically strong and work culture is good

Cons

interview process is long , no issues

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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