Is F5 a good company to work for as a Principal Software Engineer?

Principal Software Engineer professionals working at F5 have rated their employer with 3.3 out of 5 stars in 39 Glassdoor reviews. This is a lower than average score with the overall rating of F5 employees being 3.8 out of 5 stars. Search open Principal Software Engineer Jobs at F5 now and start preparing for your job interview by browsing frequently asked Principal Software Engineer interview questions at F5 .

Does F5 pay Principal Software Engineer employees well?

Principal Software Engineer professionals rate their compensation and benefits at F5 with 3.0 out of 5 stars based on 39 anonymously submitted employee reviews. This is 23.5% worse than the company average rating for salary and benefits. Find out more about Principal Software Engineer salaries at F5.

What F5 locations are top rated by Principal Software Engineer employees?

F5 locations which are top rated by Principal Software Engineer employees are Seattle and San Jose .

What are the top reviewed jobs at F5?

Software Engineer (148) , Senior Software Engineer (104) , Principal Software Engineer (39) , Software Engineer II (39) , Network Support Engineer (34) , Software Engineer III (33) , Manager (23) , Director (21) , Account Manager (20) , Engineer (18) , Sales (17) , Solutions Engineer (17) , Consultant (16) , Intern (15) , Product Manager (13)

What are the pros of working at F5 according to real employee reviews?

"Benefits are good but at at per market rate" ((in 230 reviews)); "The culture is great at identifying (really and honestly) what the sticking points are." ((in 226 reviews)); "Lots of interesting technical challenges and quite a good work life balance." ((in 205 reviews)); "The people are great and are happy with what they do." ((in 176 reviews)); "Pay is good." ((in 76 reviews))

What are the cons of working at F5 according to real employee reviews?

"Poor management and very average quality work" ((in 78 reviews)); "Too many and too Frequent layoffs" ((in 56 reviews)); "Make sure externally hired managers do not degrade the culture and qualities outlined in Pros." ((in 38 reviews)); "Very political upper management." ((in 17 reviews)); "Lower and middle management does nto get enough or proper training." ((in 15 reviews))

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F5

F5 Principal Software Engineer reviews

3.3

45% would recommend to a friend

(39 total reviews)

Francois Locoh-Donou

23% approve of CEO

27% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.0

Compensation and benefits

2.8

Culture & values

2.8

Diversity & inclusion

2.8

Work/Life balance

2.5

Career opportunities

2.2

Senior management

Principal Software Engineer employees have rated F5 with 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 39 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Principal Software Engineer professionals have a good working experience there. F5 is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Principal Software Engineer professionals compared to other employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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Parent or family caregiver

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Reviews by job title

39 reviews

4.0

Nov 25, 2025

Nice place to work

Principal software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very good work life balance

Cons

Don't have much to add

3.0

Sep 5, 2025

Seems a bit lost and no clear direction

Principal software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Nice product portfolio. Get to work on latest technology.

Cons

High attrition and re-org at senior management level leading to direction being lost.

3.0

Jul 29, 2025

Fine place

Principal software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fine place to be They pay nicely, perks are nice

Cons

A lot of bureaucracy Weird in house protobuf variation for UI dev

Viewing 1 - 3 of 39 Reviews

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F5 Principal Software Engineer reviews

Ratings by category

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Nice place to work

Seems a bit lost and no clear direction

Fine place

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