MathWorks

I have been working at MathWorks for a decade now. Overall, it is a good company with lots of good and smart people. There is a decent work-life balance. When working at MathWorks, you have the opportunity to help create something that scientists and engineers will use to make the next big discoveries.

There are some very bad apples at MathWorks. These are incompetent people, who are in middle management only because they joined the company early on, and MathWorks values loyalty more than competency.

Some of these managers suffer from an inferiority complex because they can clearly see that they are not as competent as the people they pretend to manage. My manager is one such person. If there is any issue, he likes to blame it on others and does not take responsibility for the overall quality of the product or its direction. His people skills are as abysmal as his technical skills.

He often talks badly about other people in the team when talking with me, and I am sure he badmouths me behind my back. Even though it is clear that the product that he is managing is going nowhere and is stuck in time, MathWorks rewards his loyalty by letting him continue.

He also insults people in team meetings and is blatantly sarcastic. He routinely comes late to one-on-one meetings or skips them altogether and pretends as if nothing happened. His demeanor is aggressive.

Some of the things that he is doing may be corporate bullying, but complaints from people go unheeded. As a result of his bad treatment, many people have left the team in the last few years. I think some people have made this known to the senior management, still, there is no action. I will leave as soon as I get a good offer.

People interviewing at MathWorks should avoid such teams. If you are observant during the interview and ask the right questions, you will be able to figure out if you are interviewing with such a team.

Recognize such people and take action.