Adyen vs Synthesia

Adyen vs Synthesia: Culture Compared

Adyen (3.8 Glassdoor) vs Synthesia (4.4 Glassdoor) — side-by-side on culture values, work-life balance, compensation, and open roles.

Adyen

Adyen

Large (~4,770)
Synthesia

Synthesia

Mid (~660)
Adyen
Best for: Payments and backend engineers who value a no-nonsense engineering-first culture with above-average WLB and the challenge of processing global financial transactions at massive scale
Synthesia
Best for: Engineers who want to build cutting-edge generative AI video at a fast-scaling London unicorn with a genuinely low-ego culture
AdyenSynthesia
3.8
4.4
Overall
4.1
4.2
Work-Life Balance
3.9
4.5
Culture & Values
3.8
4.4
Comp & Benefits
3.6
4.2
Senior Mgmt
3.6
4.2
Career Opps
πŸ‘ 76% Recommend πŸ‘€ 80% CEO Approval (Ingo Uytdehaage)
πŸ‘ 88% Recommend πŸ‘€ 92% CEO Approval (Victor Riparbelli)
Adyen only
βš–οΈ Work-Life Balance
Synthesia only
🀝 Flat Hierarchy🧩 Wears Many Hats
Shared
βš™οΈ Engineering-DrivenπŸš€ Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact🌱 Learning & Growth

Adyen

  • βœ“Smart, humble colleagues with high standards and a market-leading payments product
  • βœ“Good work-life balance with trust-based culture, free lunch, and international team trips
  • βœ—Below-market compensation (~20% less than peers) with poor stock options
  • βœ—Middle management quality issues as company scaled β€” inexperienced managers and internal politics

Synthesia

  • βœ“Low-ego supportive culture with genuine trust and ownership
  • βœ“Fast-paced growth with real opportunity to develop and lead
  • βœ—R&D and Product teams feel intense pressure and WLB suffers
  • βœ—Promotions rare internally β€” new roles favor external hires
Adyen
Adyen's engineering culture is well-regarded in fintech β€” principled, WLB-conscious (4.1/5), and technically rigorous β€” but expect a methodical Amsterdam-centric culture rather than a high-growth startup vibe.
Synthesia
High-growth AI company with strong culture ratings and real employee trust, though R&D teams feel the pace and promotions skew toward external hires.

Adyen β€” 302 jobs

πŸ’» Engineering
82
πŸ’Ό Sales / GTM
67
πŸ‘€ HR / People
16
βš–οΈ Legal
15
πŸ“‹ Product
14
πŸ’° Finance
12
πŸ“Š Data
11
βš™οΈ Operations
11
πŸ“£ Marketing
5
🎨 Design
4
🧠 ML / AI
2
🎧 Support
1

Synthesia β€” 69 jobs

πŸ’Ό Sales / GTM
22
πŸ’» Engineering
9
🎨 Design
8
🧠 ML / AI
5
πŸ‘€ HR / People
3
πŸ“£ Marketing
3
🎧 Support
3
πŸ“Š Data
2
βš–οΈ Legal
1
βš™οΈ Operations
1
πŸ“‹ Product
1

Adyen scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.1 work-life balance rating. Synthesia scores 4.4/5.0 overall with a 4.2 WLB. That’s a 0.6-point gap on overall satisfaction.

Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact, Learning & Growth. Adyen also emphasizes Work-Life Balance. Synthesia also emphasizes Flat Hierarchy, Wears Many Hats.

On the hiring front, Adyen has 302 open roles and Synthesia has 69 open roles.