Toxic Work Environment. - Anonymous employee PayPal Employee Review

1.0
Jan 26, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent campus in Austin, great benefits. Looks good on your resume.

Cons

Nasty politics are commonplace (Yes, politics are the norm at any company, but nowhere near the extent of creating a toxic work environment, which was my experience at PayPal). Managers throw their weight around as if it is their birthright, pitting employee against employee.

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PayPal Response
10y
Thanks for providing the feedback, and we are sorry you had a negative experience with the work environment in the Austin office. As part of my role, I get to interact with PayPal employees across the globe and in many different functions. Typically, this interaction requires solving difficult problems using resources that may have competing priorities. While this type of interaction is never easy, I have found management and their team members to be cooperative in most instances, and only willing to bring ideas to the table in order to identify the solution that is best for the company.Collaboration is always a buzz word you hear, but I feel as though the new CEO and his leadership team are dedicated to truly making it a core value at PayPal and eliminate the negative political environment you encountered.

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Pros

Work life balance and interesting merchants

Cons

The stock price limits upside

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.

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