Boeing

There are many pockets of great technology, hard problems to solve, and great engineers working on those problems. The compensation is very good, and basic business practices are solid. Functions like HR, facilities, and procurement are well run. If you are motivated, you will be rewarded and recognized by management. Honestly, the biggest draw is that Boeing has its fingers in so many great technical areas, and there is room to excel.

With Chadwick being replaced by Caret, the company has shifted strategy from quality to cost.

Extremely deep staffing cuts have left bare-bone teams unable to execute on the work.

Phrases like "it makes me feel like a slimy contractor, but..." or "just check the box, it doesn't have to work" are frequently heard from PMs on the verge of panic attacks trying to meet budget.

The customer focus that created our best products has been suppressed, and the only way to protect the quality of your product is to work nights and weekends.

You will be quickly promoted if you do the work, and the pay is great, but the instant you triage an issue, you move on, and the product you worked on sits abandoned to die a slow death.

Management talks about employee development, but all they want are leaders. They never let you learn new technical skills; instead, they make you run increasingly large teams until all your time is spent organizing the schedule tasks of rushed, low-quality projects which barely squeak by through heroic hacks and last-minute workarounds.

Scope projects based on customer CONOPs instead of reductionist nitpicking of requirements, and deliver on promises in both letter AND spirit.

Keep good people – sacrificing a point or two on the margins this year will prevent the yearly layoff, panicked attempt to rehire, and failed projects that lead to reduced revenue.

Let good engineers do engineering and don't force kids just a few years out of school to manage huge project teams just because they are the only ones on the team who care. Instead, set a culture of high quality and love for the product from the top and watch your teams perform, and watch your best and brightest deliver good code instead of good PowerPoints.