Pros
Cutting-edge technology stack — Working on zero-trust network architecture, high-performance C++ datapath, and distributed systems gives you excellent technical depth. Great for résumé building. Technically challenging problems — Real-world scale issues (P0/P1 incidents, multi-tenant proxies, TLS/DTLS at wire speed) keep you sharp. Decent compensation — Base pay is competitive for India standards, especially at senior levels.
Cons
Severe India vs. US disparity — Good, visible work is consistently credited to US counterparts. When something goes wrong, blame flows downstream to India. This double standard is demoralizing and never addressed by leadership. Rampant office politics — Career growth is driven more by who you know than what you deliver. Meritocracy is a stated value, not a practiced one. Micromanagement culture — Despite hiring experienced engineers, managers frequently second-guess decisions, require unnecessary check-ins, and undermine engineer autonomy. Managers lack people skills — Several engineering managers in the ZPA org are technically okay but fundamentally lack empathy, communication, and the ability to build psychologically safe teams. Zero team culture in ZPA Broker org — Engineers operate in silos. Asking for help is often met with indifference or passive gatekeeping. Knowledge hoarding is a survival strategy here, not an anomaly. Toxic individualism — Highly competitive in the worst way — not healthy competition that raises the team, but cutthroat behavior where colleagues actively avoid helping peers to protect their own visibility. Favouritism is real and visible — Certain employees get preferential treatment in promotions, project assignments, and performance reviews regardless of contribution. No psychological safety — Raising concerns, flagging inefficiencies, or giving honest feedback is career-limiting. The culture rewards silence.