Constant restructuring restructuring and layoffs to the tune of 10-15% of the workforce every couple of years. In between, they're still having smaller scale layoffs that don't make the news.
Regularly removing products (including valuable, robust products) from their portfolio. If you're recruited and hired to support a specific product or product's capability, there's no guarantee that the product will still be around six months from your hire date. This has the following results 1) Very angry customers 2) The experience and expertise you bring to the table is no longer needed. Even if you're flexible and a quick learning, there's a significant difference between 20 years of experience in a certain application that's suddenly no longer offered and 6 months experience in what's left.
Constantly chasing the leading edge du jour with no real strategic focus, resulting in the aforementioned Cons regarding restructuring and software retirement. By constantly shifting gears trying to chase the latest innovation, they paradoxically become less innovative.
Vacation isn't great: 12 days per year, which never increases with seniority. If you add that to the sabbatical, the vacation days per year really aren't all that competitive with companies that offer three or especially four weeks per year with no sabbatical
They won't tell you about this during the recruiting phase, but they often have a 1 week furlough around July 4 that requires you to use your vacation days or take unpaid time off during that time.
If you're stuck in a mid-career rut and looking to grow your career in a different direction, this is not the place to do it. Stay in your rut until you find something more stable and reliable than Autodesk.
