Capital One employees collaborating with a laptop open

Inside the startup spirit of Mexico City

On his first day at Capital One Mexico City, Mario walked into a quiet floor where the plants were new, the desks unassigned—and the engineering team could still fit around one table.

Within weeks, Mario became one of the founding voices of the Capital One Mexico City engineering team, helping set early rituals, choosing the cheeky team name “It works on my machine,” reviewing code for new hires and shaping how the team worked together as it grew.

At home, his seven‑year‑old son was just as excited. After Mario brought home a Capital One hat, his son proudly told classmates, “My dad’s a programmer at Capital One!” and asked Mario to teach him a coding lesson. Now as a lead software engineer, Mario is paving the way for other technologists to make their mark.

Capital One’s Mexico City engineering hub blends startup spirit with global reach. It’s filled with associates who love creative problem‑solving, modern cloud tech and building products at scale, all in a supportive and innovative environment.

Startup speed backed by global support

Mario wasn’t the only software engineer energized by meaningful work on a startup team. Around the same time, Emiliano joined the group of 30 engineers. Within months, the team had grown significantly.

“Since joining, the whole Capital One operation in Mexico City has felt like a startup, but with deep support,” Emiliano, a senior software engineer, said.

He’s encouraged to try new things and share ideas, and he feels like there is always a safety net. And unlike a traditional corporate environment where change can happen slowly, Emiliano enjoys the nimble and adaptable nature of the teams, which empowers associates to creatively deliver innovative products for Capital One customers.

Even as the team grows, there’s still a close-knit vibe in the office that fuels high-powered collaboration. Emiliano once organized a lunch at a taco spot near the office. Swapping hometown stories sparked an idea that sent the group straight to a whiteboard, where they cracked a tech challenge they had been working on earlier that day.

Group of Capital One associates gathered around a table with a laptop

A place to belong, build and grow

While the Mexico City tech hub feels like a startup, it’s designed for long-term belonging and career growth.

Mexico Country Manager, Judith Gonzalez, leads a team where engineers and product managers develop products for millions of Capital One customers. Her priorities are clear: hire great talent and build high‑quality products. With three decades in Mexico’s tech scene and a people‑first approach, Judith encourages community impact through volunteerism and programs that grow local talent.

That ambition is matched by a tech‑forward mindset. Capital One’s cloud‑based stack enables teams to build and deliver quickly, giving engineers the tools and autonomy they need to do their best work.

For Mario, support shows up in practical ways. Comprehensive benefits that prioritize total well-being and a culture of team connection and support helped lighten the load he carried as a former university professor and early‑career data scientist. “Because of Capital One’s benefits, I’m no longer stressed,” he said.

Building in Mexico for global scale

From Mexico City, teams are writing software that serves millions of customers every day, within a company that pioneered a move to cloud in the banking industry. For software engineers, that means solving large‑scale challenges while seeing their work impact real people.

For Jaime Patiño, Head of HR in Mexico, the work is personal. A Capital One associate since 2003, he spent more than 20 years in the U.S. before returning to his home country to help open the office. “I saw an opportunity to come back to my country and invest in my people,” Jaime said. Every two weeks, when new associates arrive, Jaime thinks about what’s ahead: the impact of their work and how their careers will benefit.

The team is also expanding early‑career opportunities with university hiring, another way the tech hub is opening doors for local tech talent.