F5 reviews

3.8

72% would recommend to a friend

(1,972 total reviews)
avatar

Francois Locoh-Donou

81% approve of CEO

62% positive business outlook

F5 has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 1,972 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The F5 employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews
3.0
Apr 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

F5 overall has strong potential, good projects, and a collaborative culture at its core. Good benefits

Cons

Some teams—particularly in Hyderabad—are negatively affected by a few biased and manipulative managers. A major issue is favoritism. Certain managers bring in their known associates and amplify even minor contributions, sometimes with support from other managers (product, engineering), despite the work having limited impact, less complex or relying heavily on others (subordinates). These patterns can often be observed in project tracking tools and code contributions, only thing will be observed is those internally hired close-ones are frequently placed in high-visibility projects to boost their appraisal outcomes, this pattern can be observed very often. Meanwhile, long-tenured team members are often overlooked despite their steady contributions, which can be discouraging. There are also cases where existing team members are pushed out over minor issues, creating room for preferred candidates by repeatedly requesting additional hiring positions to upper management. At the same time, mistakes by favored individuals are ignored, affecting delivery timelines and overall team performance. These inconsistencies are often visible in missed commitments, shifting delivery scopes, and uneven accountability within project tracking systems for last few quarters. Some former employees have raised concerns via formal channels, but responses tend to be slow or insufficient. Reviewing the delivery performance of these teams, along with feedback from past employees, can provide a clearer picture of these ongoing issues. In certain situations, these managers appear to exert influence over their immediate supervisors, who may already be under pressure to maintain stability, struggling for his own bread n butter. This can lead to superficial or staged interactions during broader team meetings, everyone knows about such staged dramas, which limiting transparency and contributing to a strained work environment. A deeper analysis of the business unit’s history of critical product deliveries may further reveal underlying issues.

1.0
Apr 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nothing positive at the moment, it has worsened over time.

Cons

- The company has shifted from being excellent to increasingly disappointing. - Frequent reorganizations—occurring almost every quarter—have created instability, with ongoing pressure on engineers to exit. - There are growing concerns around “silent layoffs,” happening on a near-regular basis. While many companies are restructuring due to AI-driven changes, here the challenge appears to stem from a lack of clarity in positioning and selling the next version of existing products. - BIG-IP Next: After nearly five years of development, the product was discontinued just before launch, leading to the layoff of around 200 engineers (Aug 2025). This was reportedly due to difficulties in convincing customers to adopt the new modular architecture. - Leadership appears to lack a clear, consistent vision, with frequent shifts in direction and experimentation. - Reorganizations and layoffs often seem to follow these missteps. - Overall, the company currently feels unstable and lacking in long-term strategic clarity.

2.0
Apr 2, 2026

Once great company that has lost its way

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compensation / Benefits Nicer than average offices

Cons

SLT has lost its way. Pivoted to SW with a “Rule of 40”. Neglected the golden goose of BIG-IP hw business and delayed launch, failed to provide critical features to some of the largest customers. Tried to position HW centric products as SW revenue. In nearly 10 years FLD has been CEO stock returns are below the s&p 500 and doesn’t subdividends.

Viewing 13 - 15 of 1,972 Reviews

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