Nvidia

Compensation & Benefits:

• Base salary gets competitive as you go up in your IC level.
• ESPP has a 2-year lock-in window. Not many companies in the industry have that.
• 401K match is a fixed value, which is good for people who plan to work for a shorter period.
• Multiple choices to choose from for your health benefits (depending on your requirements) and they are very competitive.
• Dinner is subsidized.

Career:

• If you are self-motivated, you can learn a lot of stuff.
• Teams are usually small (< 15 under a manager), so visibility to upper management and across teams is high.
• There are opportunities to move within the company, and it is highly encouraged by our CEO. YMMV.
• There are avenues for Learning & Development, but it's mostly about Machine Learning and AI.

Immigration:

• NVIDIA is very prompt with your immigration applications. There is no lead-in period to apply for your H1B, Green Card, or any other petitions.

Work Culture:

• Information about projects & products is available to all teams, so there is a sense of satisfaction when you know what you are working on.
• There are mailing groups & clubs for all things, and you can openly ask for help, be it work-related or not.
• Flexible work hours as long as you complete the work within the agreed-upon timeframe.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Base salary for NCG or lower level ICs may not match that of bigger companies.
• There is no profit sharing or cash bonuses.
• RSU grant is once a year and is not very competitive unless the stock price goes up on its own.
• There are no free lunches, not since 2009.

Career:

• Not a lot of opportunities for career growth.
• Since teams are small, there is no time for anyone to mentor younger employees.
• If you are not self-motivated, it's very difficult to learn or do new things.
• Intra-team transfer needs your current manager's approval.
• The review/appraisal process is not very transparent.
• There are no written reviews by the manager.
• There is no clear goal on what you need to do to get promoted.

• Be mindful of the aspirations of younger employees.
• Don't assume that someone is happy and will continue to work for you just because they are working for you now.
• Keep rotating job duties within a group so everyone knows and can learn what others are doing.