Visa's recent announcement of workforce reductions marks a significant shift in the company's operational strategy. By sharing your severance offer on fired.fyi, you can gain insights into how your package compares across the industry and strengthen your negotiating position. Here's our comprehensive analysis of what employees can expect from these changes.

Visa Layoffs 2025: Current Landscape

As we enter 2025, Visa's restructuring plans are taking shape. The company announced in late 2024 its intention to reduce its workforce by approximately 1,400 employees and contractors. This adjustment has particularly impacted the Bay Area, where 192 positions in Foster City and 10 in San Francisco were eliminated, according to filings with California's Employment Development Department. These changes took effect on January 21, 2025. While Visa hasn't released specifics about which departments face reductions, this realignment reflects broader shifts in the company's strategic priorities. Industry watchers remain attentive to potential further adjustments, though no additional reductions have been announced.

Historical Perspective on Visa's Severance Approaches

Executive Level Considerations

Visa maintains a structured Executive Severance Plan, established in November 2010 and updated in January 2022, designed for senior leadership transitions. The plan, detailed in public filings, outlines specific provisions for key executives selected by the Compensation Committee.

The executive package typically encompasses:

• A calculated severance payment combining base salary and target incentives
• Extended health coverage
• Provisions for managing equity awards
• Additional transition support services

General Employee Packages

For the broader employee base, Visa's severance framework has evolved over time, with variations based on tenure, role, and employment status. The company previously offered a month of severance per year of service, with a twelve-month ceiling. Recent adjustments have shifted toward a two-week-per-year model, maintaining the one-year maximum. Employee experiences highlight considerable variation, particularly among specialized groups like H1B visa holders.

Industry Context: How Visa's Approach Compares

Mastercard's Framework

Mastercard's recent layoff patterns provide interesting context. Their early 2023 reduction of 3% of staff followed an earlier 10% workforce adjustment. While specific details remain private due to confidentiality agreements, affected employees generally described the packages as substantial, though some expressed concerns about the timing given the company's strong financial performance.

American Express's Strategy

American Express offers another valuable comparison point. Their approach to severance has garnered mixed responses, particularly during their early 2020 reduction of 1,500 positions. While some long-term employees reported receiving generous packages, others raised questions about the impact on veteran staff members. The company faced additional scrutiny in 2023 over concerns about attrition management strategies.

What to Expect from Visa's 2025 Severance Packages

Based on Visa's historical practices and current industry dynamics, we can outline a detailed picture of likely severance terms for 2025. Our analysis draws from previous packages, industry benchmarks, and emerging trends in financial services severance structures.

Base Financial Package

The foundation of Visa's severance typically follows a tenure-based calculation. Current indicators suggest they're likely to maintain their recent approach of offering two weeks of base pay per year of service, capped at one year total severance. However, this represents a shift from their previous more generous structure of one month per year of service. Employees should note that these calculations typically exclude variable compensation components like bonuses or commissions.

Equity Considerations

Visa's treatment of unvested equity has historically been more conservative than some tech industry peers. While exact terms vary, employees often receive accelerated vesting only through their final day, with some exceptions for executives or specific grant agreements. This differs notably from companies like Google, which typically offers extended vesting periods as part of severance.

Healthcare Coverage

Healthcare continuation forms a significant component of Visa's severance packages. The company typically provides COBRA coverage or equivalent healthcare benefits for a period correlated with service length, usually ranging from three to six months. Senior employees or those with specialized roles might receive extended coverage periods.

Additional Benefits

Beyond core compensation, Visa's packages often include:

• Outplacement services and career transition support, typically valued at $3,000-5,000
• Pro-rated annual bonus payments for the current performance year
• Extended time frames for exercising vested stock options
• Professional career coaching and resume review services
• Immigration support for visa holders, including grace period guidance

Role-Specific Variations

Our analysis of previous packages reveals significant variations based on role and level:

Executive Level (Director and above):

• Enhanced severance multipliers
• Extended healthcare coverage periods
• More favorable equity acceleration terms
• Executive outplacement services

Mid-Level Management:

• Standard tenure-based calculations with potential for negotiation
• Standard healthcare continuation
• Basic outplacement services

Individual Contributors:

• Standard tenure-based calculations
• Basic healthcare continuation
• Limited flexibility for negotiation

Special Considerations

Visa has shown particular attention to specific employee situations:

1. H1B and other visa holders often receive expedited processing and sometimes additional support for visa transitions
2. Employees near retirement age might receive bridge compensation or adjusted healthcare terms
3. Those with specialized technical skills occasionally receive enhanced packages to maintain positive relationships within the industry

For context, recent examples demonstrate the range of outcomes:

• A senior director with 15 years of service received 40 weeks of pay plus accelerated equity vesting
• A mid-level engineer with 8 years of service received 16 weeks of severance and 4 months of healthcare
• A four-decade veteran received eleven months of severance support with comprehensive benefits
• An H1B visa holder with nearly ten years of service was granted two months of severance plus immigration assistance

Negotiation Potential

While Visa typically presents standardized packages, our data suggests some room for negotiation, particularly around:

• Extension of healthcare coverage periods
• Acceleration of equity vesting schedules
• Outplacement service enhancements
• Timeline adjustments for final working days

Looking Ahead

While we await Visa's official announcement of specific terms, you can gain early access to our comprehensive severance comparison library by submitting information about past severance offers. Understanding how packages compare across the industry can significantly strengthen your position in any negotiations. If you receive a severance offer, sharing your package details helps build our collective knowledge base, benefiting everyone navigating similar transitions.

Remember that every situation has unique elements, and consulting with an employment attorney can provide valuable perspective on your specific circumstances. Your experience and insights, when shared, become part of a larger resource helping others make informed decisions during career transitions.

The path forward may seem uncertain, but you're not alone in this journey. By contributing to and drawing from our shared knowledge base, we can all work toward better outcomes.