Compensation is significantly below market for product roles in fintech. You are expected to operate at a high strategic level while being paid closer to mid-tier startup salaries. Equity is used as a selling point, but stock performance has been consistently weak, making that upside questionable.
Frequent restructuring makes long-term roadmap planning almost impossible. Entire teams can disappear after a quarter of strong performance if cost targets are not met. Senior talent is often removed under “cost alignment” language and replaced with lower-cost labor in other regions.
Promotion criteria are vague. Results alone are not sufficient. Executive proximity and political alignment carry disproportionate weight.