Old-fashioned, disconnected from reality top heavy management - Senior Engineer Applied Materials Employee Review

2.0
Jun 7, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Standard benefits, average market rate salary, can be better if you're lucky enough to be in a good group under good management.

Cons

Way too top heavy hierarchy, too many VPs, Senior Directors, Managing Directors who just all talk day in day out and never do any real work. Probably 50% of the work force are these senior management, only 20% of real working level engineers doing the actual WORK. CEO Gary disconnected from reality eliminating hybrid work, maybe because all he meets every day are the VPs under him who are paid well enough to be able to live anywhere close to company in expensive Bay Area. Very old-fashioned thinking in this day and age. Too many processes, approval flows which slows down everything, this stems from again too many Directors and above, who are implementing more and more approval steps to justify their existence. Your career path greatly depends on which team you're in and how good is your chain of managers. Difference can be no promotion for 5-6years vs promoted twice within the same timeframe, even for doing the same type of work and performing the same.

Explore other reviews about Applied Materials

5.0
Apr 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Friendliness Stock Purchase Benefits Culture Development

Cons

Hours Schedule Flexibility Relocation Salary

4.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good health insurance, pay is just enough to not quit, 4% 401k contribution gives 3% match, stock purchase program is 15% discount no annually. Work is hit and miss, sometimes your left to struggle and there very little support, other times things are planned out and well executed. This company promotes from within more often than not so there is a ladder to climb. The work is 12hr shifts which is good for long weekends, but if things are busy with lots of projects you will be asked to come in for overtime. 60hr weeks 2x a month is very common. You can say no, but it’s discouraged in a few ways 😉

Cons

Management is very hit and miss, for the last decade we’ve had the avg stay of a manger <1yr. If you have a good one, they get burnt out from unreasonable expectations, and if you have a bad one they’re so disconnected you get nothing out of it. As a whole, due to leadership being promoted from within they tend to be very resistant to making any changes to their system because it worked a decade ago. This industry moves rapidly, because it was the best a decade ago does not mean it’s the best today. The raise structure is silly. Every year they’ve changed to it to have more disconnect from you and the people who approve raises. Most managers claim they’re told how much each employee is getting from someone that the employee is never met, and then have to argue over how to distribute an additional 5% over the entire team. This means if you work as hard as you can, and really stand out from your peers, you can get an additional 2% for an annual raise and your manager will claim that the best possible.

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