Visa

1. Clean, quiet, comfortable work environment.
2. "Nice" people and leadership.
3. Autonomy (at least, in my role).
4. Interesting problems to solve.

1. Dishonest leadership, dishonest ER/HR.

2. SECURITY HOLE! My former immediate supervisor uses a non-corporate WhatsApp account for communication between international offices/engineering teams, instead of the communication/conferencing tools Visa licenses and provides. I'm fairly certain there is neither corporate oversight, nor even permissions provided, to do so.

3. A spaghetti nightmare of websites/webapps and navigation for everything from access requests, internal tooling, software, service requests, to employee benefits. Absolutely the most expansive and least-well organized of anywhere I've worked, over my nearly 20-year career.

4. (Minor) Fewer extras/amenities than what other tech organizations offer.

The start of my short tenure at Visa was good, but ended horribly, in a way endemic to the tech industry's false narrative of diversity, inclusivity, empathy, and transparency.

Unfortunately, my time with Visa was interrupted by a prison gang who targeted me and my home for harassment, stalking, and at one point, attempted abduction for nearly four weeks. This occurred day and night (and I have both still and video evidence, as well as police reports). This also, of course, impacted my productivity, as my safety and well-being were being threatened, and I safeguarded myself.

Unfortunately, also, it brought out some ugly true colors, methinks, of Visa, as an employer and as a culture—at least in technology.

During this time of harassment, Visa Employee Relations (ER/HR) placed me on administrative leave and subjected me to two psychiatric evaluations, which Visa ER leadership stated were being conducted so Visa could best support my situation, especially given I have both pre-existing high-functioning autism and PTSD.

Visa Employee Relations leadership lied the entire way. It was made clear, by both psychiatrists, that the intent was actually to determine my suitability for continued employment. Empathy and transparency fail. Honesty fails.

Ultimately, there was no feedback provided, nor result declared, regarding these psych evaluations, nor were they used as reasoning toward my termination. Not surprising, considering what was happening to me WAS REALLY HAPPENING.

I have requested the documented results of my exams from the psychiatrists, only to be ignored. Likely, this is tangential to why such results weren't considered in my termination. Likely, there was nothing there to suggest I was unsuitable. This falls under HIPAA, so denying me access to my records is illegal.

While my severance payout was okay, their initial severance contract was essentially a "hush" contract, which would have nullified my rights to speak or write of any of what is here, the contents of the contract, or even the contract itself. This would also apply to my family, as the initial language also bound them.

However, the National Labor Relations Board had already set a legal precedent by declaring, via court ruling in Feb 2023, that EMPLOYERS CANNOT FORCE EMPLOYEES TO SIGN AWAY THEIR RIGHTS FOR A SEVERANCE PAYOUT.

That last bit is in all caps, as other employees should probably make note. Per the above, Visa was forced to heavily modify the contract, being forced to remove large portions of its text and reword others. Otherwise, I wouldn't be legally permitted to write this review!

Also, before you even think of trying this review in a disparaging terms lawsuit (per my severance contract), know that I have the following well-documented, to preempt claims of falsehood or insult:

• A general timeline of events, with notable details added.
• Email backups, including multiple, lengthy conversations of the matters with ER/HR Leadership. These include statements made by said leadership, who clearly and egregiously lie in their declaration of supporting me. They were, however, clearly stated by the psychiatrists themselves as tools for measuring my suitability for continued employment. I'm pretty sure this, alone, could qualify Visa for wrongful termination.
• Dated, detailed notes as a record of my Visa-assigned psych evals.
• A screen recording of my severance interview with ER/HR Leadership.
• Police reports regarding the gang harassment activity which triggered all this.