PayPal Employee Review

I have been working at PayPal full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – -Friendly and supportive culture--not a dog eat dog environment
-Great benefits and excellent eBay inc. stock program
-High performers are recognized and rewarded
-Current (though not past) management recognizes company challenges and has put bold plans in place to improve.

Cons – The company's core technology and development processes stunt innovation at the company. This makes product development progress incredibly slow and often unsatisfying to all who contribute. This has driven away many talented product managers and developers. eBay also has a penchant for constant reorganization. Every time a new senior leader comes in, a reorganization will be put in place. This flux causes churn and impedes both the company's and employees' goals.

Advice to Senior Management – Stop believing that reorganizations solve real problems. I've witnessed this tendency for ten years, and it has yet to yield lasting improvements to the effectiveness of teams.

Give small teams autonomy over product areas with guidance on expected results. Management still
tends to issue product edicts "This product must be built in so in so ways.." that are ill-informed and poorly conceived. Talented professionals who develop and manage products for a living will always produce better product solutions than professionals who run companies and manage people. The skill sets for these roles are not the same, and this needs to be acknowledged. Focus on the results and guide with expectations and core values.

The company *must* improve it's technology processes. All former leaders have failed at this--take the time to understand their mistakes and do not repeat them. Develop a concrete plan for this, and execute well.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company