Qualcomm

Another US-based company with similar achievements would have leveraged the success much better than Qualcomm did. But it is also true that it is one of the most gentlemanly companies in the US today.

The management is candid and tries to be honest. The compensation is above average. The quality of work is above average for most.

At least until very recently, there was a sense of purpose – something bigger than oneself – and a culture of excellence in hardware design.

Although the floodgates of layoffs opened two years ago, the company is still one of the best in the world.

Two main problems:

1. As the company is now middle-aged, it is top-heavy.

At the Staff and Sr. Staff levels, opportunities for growth (in terms of quality and breadth of work) are becoming limited by the day.

Attrition and frustration are increasing by the day.

Not long ago, about 5 years ago, employees who were gaga about Qualcomm and were irritably proud and short-sighted (most folks here only worked at Qualcomm and no other companies, possibly 80% of the engineering workforce) about Qualcomm's achievements are now growling about almost everything.

This is because of #2.

1. The company is trying to break free of its dependency on the phone/modem business.

Until that happens and revenue streams start to show, this phase will last.

The company has been unsuccessful in making its brand, in spite of technical excellence and business success. Today, it would have been invaluable, but it is still not too late. Also, evaluate if past success stories are still invaluable for the future, especially with QTL. Apple will remain a major player with or without Qualcomm. Let's not make this personal. Murthy is gone; Apple will stay here.

Make more space for mid-level engineers. Create more leadership opportunities than executor roles.