F5 Sr. Software Engineer reviews

3.6

80% would recommend to a friend

(117 total reviews)
avatar

Francois Locoh-Donou

85% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Sr. Software Engineer employees have rated F5 with 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 117 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Sr. Software Engineer professionals have a good working experience there. F5 is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Sr. Software Engineer professionals compared to other employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

117 reviews
3.0
Apr 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

F5 overall has strong potential, good projects, and a collaborative culture at its core. Good benefits

Cons

Some teams—particularly in Hyderabad—are negatively affected by a few biased and manipulative managers. A major issue is favoritism. Certain managers bring in their known associates and amplify even minor contributions, sometimes with support from other managers (product, engineering), despite the work having limited impact, less complex or relying heavily on others (subordinates). These patterns can often be observed in project tracking tools and code contributions, only thing will be observed is those internally hired close-ones are frequently placed in high-visibility projects to boost their appraisal outcomes, this pattern can be observed very often. Meanwhile, long-tenured team members are often overlooked despite their steady contributions, which can be discouraging. There are also cases where existing team members are pushed out over minor issues, creating room for preferred candidates by repeatedly requesting additional hiring positions to upper management. At the same time, mistakes by favored individuals are ignored, affecting delivery timelines and overall team performance. These inconsistencies are often visible in missed commitments, shifting delivery scopes, and uneven accountability within project tracking systems for last few quarters. Some former employees have raised concerns via formal channels, but responses tend to be slow or insufficient. Reviewing the delivery performance of these teams, along with feedback from past employees, can provide a clearer picture of these ongoing issues. In certain situations, these managers appear to exert influence over their immediate supervisors, who may already be under pressure to maintain stability, struggling for his own bread n butter. This can lead to superficial or staged interactions during broader team meetings, everyone knows about such staged dramas, which limiting transparency and contributing to a strained work environment. A deeper analysis of the business unit’s history of critical product deliveries may further reveal underlying issues.

1.0
Apr 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nothing positive at the moment, it has worsened over time.

Cons

- The company has shifted from being excellent to increasingly disappointing. - Frequent reorganizations—occurring almost every quarter—have created instability, with ongoing pressure on engineers to exit. - There are growing concerns around “silent layoffs,” happening on a near-regular basis. While many companies are restructuring due to AI-driven changes, here the challenge appears to stem from a lack of clarity in positioning and selling the next version of existing products. - BIG-IP Next: After nearly five years of development, the product was discontinued just before launch, leading to the layoff of around 200 engineers (Aug 2025). This was reportedly due to difficulties in convincing customers to adopt the new modular architecture. - Leadership appears to lack a clear, consistent vision, with frequent shifts in direction and experimentation. - Reorganizations and layoffs often seem to follow these missteps. - Overall, the company currently feels unstable and lacking in long-term strategic clarity.

Viewing 4 - 6 of 117 Reviews

Glassdoor has 2,183 F5 reviews submitted anonymously by F5 employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if F5 is right for you.