Good while it lasted - Anonymous employee Ekata Employee Review

1.0
8 Jun 2022
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are/were some amazing people here and they were an absolute joy to work with. I can confidently say that I worked with some of the smartest and brightest in the industry while working at Ekata. Pre-acquisition, there was clear direction and passion. People had a goal that they were working towards and work was done efficiently and quickly.

Cons

Post-acquisition is all downhill. Promotions and pay raises were not followed through. Ekata's pay was never strong but Mastercard has made it worse with high deductible health plans and non-competitive LTIs. Nepotism exists at the highest levels and the only way you're moving up is to fall into the good graces of some VP. The people who actually do the work are few and most just cause noise. Projects are getting scrapped after months of work. Leadership has a "figure it out as we go" mentality instead of relying on industry experts or experienced leaders to create a vision. Inexperienced VPs that don't rely on data and process are causing confusion for all the teams they manage. Hiring is a complete joke. There's no reason to the hiring plan other than some VP thought it was a good idea.

Explore other reviews about Ekata

5.0
1 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great work life balance. Solid startup culture. Minimal micro management. Good compensation and career trajectory.

Cons

Tends not to be a very “sexy” industry, but boring pays the bills.

4.0
27 Jan 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Ekata fosters a strong, collaborative community with great colleagues and competitive benefits, including a 401K match, 21 PTO days, Anthem healthcare, and a stock purchase discount program.

Cons

Following Ekata's acquisition by Mastercard, employees have reported increased burnout due to a prolonged hiring freeze, outdated financial systems, poor cross-department communication, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and slow decision-making have hindered both operations and customer experience.

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