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Decent company with a questionable future

Engineering Technician
Former Employee
Worked at Intel for 20 years
September 13, 2016
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
4.0
RecommendsNeutral OutlookDoesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

Outstanding benefits (sabbatical every 7 years is awesome), some of the most intelligent coworkers in the world, an extremely safe environment (safety is the #1 value), competitive pay, cutting-edge technology work, ease of lateral transfer to other positions, and a diverse culture.

Cons

Dog-eat-dog environment. The majority of coworkers are very competitive and tend to be back-stabbers. This is almost necessary in order to get an above-average rating and stay employed at Intel, although it didn't used to be that way.

Poor management. I probably only had maybe four decent supervisors during my nineteen-year tenure. Intel has never learned how to hire good managers; they take engineers and try to convert them into managers, which rarely works well.

Difficult to advance. Mentorship is very poor. Intel tried to start a management mentorship program a few years ago, but nothing ever became of it.

Poor work/life balance for exempts. Engineers in R&D especially are worked to death and have horrible morale, infecting the entire team.

Uncertain future. Intel used to be strictly a processor maker, but now seems to be floundering. The latest layoff was done extremely poorly, with employees who were good performers (maybe a bit older and higher-paid) let go.

Advice to Management

Keep experienced employees, even though they may be paid a little more, and stop replacing them with green H1B's. Hire some decent supervisors who know how to manage people. Replace current CEO.

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