Comcast

The only pros I can think of are:

• The work timings are flexible and the work-life balance is better than other firms I have worked at.
• There are fewer restrictions with using the company-provided laptop for personal use than I have seen.
• Some people are really helpful and supportive (depends on your team).

I have so much to say, so now I will rant:

1. The major downside is that you will face many issues if you are not Tamil or don't speak Tamil (not even talking about living in Chennai, which is still manageable). People from Tamil Nadu make up around 95% of the org, and for diversity, they only care about more women. So, you will have to accept being treated as an outsider in the team, meetings, and events.

2. CIEC is actually an LLP of Comcast US in India. They have no products in the Indian market, and the work given to the teams here is at par with other service-based firms, and sometimes, worse. Don't expect that you will get to work on something cutting-edge; that is only for the employees in the US or UK.

3. The HR department here is ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. HRs will low-ball you, mislead you, respond extremely slowly after multiple escalations, apply different rules on everyone, and not pay you the referral bonus. And then will act like they are doing you some favor by doing their job and like they are giving you salary from their own pockets.

4. The pay really sucks, and there is a huge disparity between different employees' pay at the same level. Doesn't stop them from claiming that they offer higher salaries than the market average (they mean WITCH companies, as that's what they think their level is).

5. If you want North Indian food in the cafeteria, you are out of luck. The management will not even do anything about it; we have complained about it a million times already.

6. No matter how well-deserving your work is, you will not be promoted unless you are politicking with the higher-ups. And female employees will be promoted on a priority basis.

7. They are on a hiring spree; still, they will not give you a good raise citing market conditions. They don't appreciate it if you have stayed with them for years.

8. You will most probably not grow as an engineer here. Even if you get promoted, you will not have developed your skills as much as at a pure tech product firm.

9. Lots of middle managers who are not technologically capable. As a cherry on top, they sometimes provide their own inputs (hint: micromanage).

10. HR, not your immediate reporting manager, has the final say in your promotion. And they will not approve it due to "budget issues".

I can write more about how the office is literally in front of a massive garbage dump yard (apt location), the poor quality employee-"appreciation" gifts, cringe monkey-show expected from employees whenever any leader from abroad visits, the stupid HR policies with respect to WFH, bonuses, leaves, etc., and much, much more... but this much is enough for now. Did I mention how terrible and obnoxious the HRs are here?

TL;DR: CIEC is NOT a diverse, inclusive, product-based technology company; Comcast in the US/Europe might be. It is a slightly better service-based firm, run by sub-par managers and a good-for-nothing HR department. Switch as quick as possible, especially if you are not Tamil.

Please go through the cons I have shared and understand the problems Indian employees face. At least work on pay parity, actual diversity, and retaining employees. Start by overhauling the HR department.