Dell

Good pay for the effort of work. Very laid-back workplace. I probably work 25 hours a week and spend the rest of the week learning.

As a software company, Dell is unable to innovate because IT department heads are always fighting each other.

In the time I've been here, I've seen new ideas and innovation squashed by micromanagers and inter-departmental disputes.

Managers tend to protect their friends and have normalized very aggressive, non-collaborative behavior.

There is an enormous drive to make the boss happy, so work is constantly being reprioritized to meet the whims of "leadership."

Overall, a pathological organizational culture. Almost no one can offer or take constructive feedback because any honesty would spoil their reputation among their peers. Interpersonal issues that could be avoided by a little honesty and feedback often degrade into overtly heated arguments or passive-aggressive scheming. I've personally witnessed at least three of my coworkers throw each other under the bus to "get ahead."

Fix the company culture.

Dell has talented workers, but it's well known among the Austin tech community that Dell is a terrible place to work. Many of my friends warned me, and I should probably have listened.

As the tech scene in Austin grows, Dell may lose its best talent to companies with a better culture.