I was with Intel many years (between 15 and 40 lets say) and I just want to say the company is one of the best. Any time I ever needed time off, I got it. Any time I was sick, I simply sent an email saying I was sick. The cafe's are great with lots of ethnic variety and healthy choices. The bathrooms are perfectly clean. The office is perfectly clean. Security is top notch. While there is a lot of bad talk about management being ineffective, I would say my experience is the opposite. There are bad managers, but out of 20 or so, I would say I only had 1 terrible manager, and a few mediocre. The remainder were excellent. There are many jobs available at all times. Sure the layoffs or redeployments as they have been known for the most of my time there, were very fair. Eight weeks to find a job inside before receiving a fair package. The benefits are excellent with an amazing medical plan. Every time the medical plan changed, it was always replaced with something just as good or even better. The bonuses are excellent. Were the benefits better many years ago? Yes much better. However, the company is still providing fair benefits, just not the best of the best. Sabbaticals are an awesome benefit, especially the 8 week. The downside of Intel is the frequent and large layoffs and the poorly performing stock. I lost more money investing in the stock plan and holding than made money. I always believed in the company and still do. It will turn around. Pat is the best thing to happen to the company in a decade.
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The product mix is the best in many years.
Typical Intel lifer.
How would you know what other places offer if you’ve only been at Intel for most of your career?
It is poorly run and very inefficient. You didn’t notice because of the monopoly situation for many years. Now that there is actual competition, the truth is revealed.
If you're there for a long time your comp is way below market. While people at other tech companies talk about high comp, free food, state of the art campuses, you're talking about how clean bathrooms.
@1vsk+1kK3IlU6 the actual truth is that these folks are just following the semi industry playbook as a whole. You think that tsmc or samsung managers are any less psychotic or more empathetic? Lmfao. Those are just glorified Asian sweatshops. Empires are not built by emperors but on the backs of slaves. Just an eternal truth of the human condition.
Completely agree with OP. I just left after almost 20 years at Intel. It really WAS a great place to work, everything he commented is the absolute truth. The only part I don't fully agree with is that Pat will turn things around. The big bet on foundry services may not go so well, time will tell. Products are ok, but now many big tech companies are making their own chips.
I don't see any bright spots coming for Intel for at least the next 2-3 years. I hope I am wrong, I wouldn't mind going back to work for them if things turn around.
I agree with the positives of what you say but management in the fabs are basically subdued sociopaths. If modern policy wasn’t on paper people it would be an absolute hellscape. The managers are so eager to impose their will upon subordinates it’s at all times palpable. The amount of times I have had to quote our site bluebook and pull in direct examples of treatment of others is wild. You basically need to either have litigation skills or be a favorite to get anywhere. The only thing that keeps them at bay is labor law and blue book policy coming down from the top. It’s a personality cult of sociopaths in my opinion; you either get onboard or don’t plan on getting promoted anytime soon.
@op. Such truthful articles are not appreciated here. Here you would get up votes if you comment doom and gloom, complain about people, be whinny, come off as a victim. If you do all that that people tend to love it here.
While I agree with all you say, I just dont like the rewards move for this year. Makes sense for the company to do it. Absolutely. But before doing this, ELT should take a 80% pay cut. We are in this soup largely because of them. They did all the crazy hiring in last 2 years. It was so irresponsible.
But now the rank and file have to pay the cost for that. And yes, I dont want to hear that ELT stock compensation automatically brings down their pay by 50% and all that. ELT, just take a pay cut. Take home no more than 1M on a down year like this before you start reaching in your employee pockets to take away their raises.
Pros:
Cafe
Bathrooms
Cons:
Management
Finances
Products
I beg to differ about the quality of the cafe. Although I do agree the bathrooms are clean.
i think you have a case of sympathetic nostalgia my blue friend