High ambition, but chaotic execution and a difficult culture
Pros
dLocal has smart people, real scale, and interesting challenges. But my experience was marked by cultural issues, chaotic execution, weak HR support, and poor remote communication practices.
Cons
My overall experience was much more difficult than positive. Beyond the usual growing pains of a fast-paced company, I found there to be a level of cultural toxicity that made the environment harder to navigate than it should have been. There was often too much pressure, too little structure, and not enough care in how things were communicated or managed. One of the biggest issues was the level of chaos around people processes and HR. Onboarding was unnecessarily difficult, support was minimal, and there seemed to be very limited understanding of local legal and administrative realities. At times it felt like employees were left to figure out important basics on their own, with very little guidance or ownership from the company side. I also struggled with the company’s broader approach to technology. While ambitious, it sometimes felt like speed, experimentation, and hype were prioritized over thoughtfulness, responsibility, and ethical judgment. I found some of that difficult to reconcile personally. Another major problem is communication. For a remote company, dLocal does not seem to work particularly well in a remote-first way. A huge amount of communication happens in private messages and closed channels rather than in open, documented spaces. That creates silos, duplicates work, reduces visibility, and makes collaboration far less effective than it should be, even within the same team. For some people, especially those who enjoy highly reactive environments and are comfortable filling in a lot of gaps themselves, this may still be a fit. But for anyone looking for strong operational support, healthy communication norms, and a more thoughtful culture, I would be cautious.
