Electronic Arts

• You get to work on some really interesting hardware.
• There are some very smart people to learn from.
• Great facilities (indoor gym, outdoor soccer pitch).

• custom build system that uses XML like a programming language and is a total pain to debug

• small cubes with low walls leading to a noisy workspace

• stated company values don't match day-to-day operations

• promotions are rare and management makes you jump through hoops to get them

• raises are between nothing and inflation at most

• layoffs are standard operating procedure

• working long hours is rewarded more than working smart hours

• no global standards for roles across the company. An SEII in one group can be doing the same level of work as an SSEI in another.

Stop following everyone else. If a core company value is 'Be Bold,' then live up to it. Trying to create a Steam killer today is meek following. Jumping into the iPhone space is meek following. Do something new, bold, and different. Take risks. If you keep trying to do what other companies did a year ago, you'll keep slowly dying.