Pros
The compensation is very compelling which for many, is sufficient to justify the trade offs in work/life balance, high stress and toxic executives. Benefits, likewise are good. There are many good, smart, driven colleagues that do excellent work, deliver results and raise the bar for everyone. The cultural diversity is a also positive at AMD. The CEO is whip-smart and is getting proven results which are evident in its surging stock price.
Cons
The group in which I worked was led by a highly toxic Senior VP who managed by fear. This individual was a bully pure and simple. They made unreasonable demands, frequently delivered public reprimands, and cared little about their team’s personal lives or work/life balance. That fear-based management style trickled down to the levels below. If something wasn’t going well in the executive ranks, you could be sure that everyone felt the pain to some degree. Because these executives often achieve the desired results, I believe a blind eye is turned to the methods by which results were achieved. I’ll be honest, there’s a lot to admire about Lisa Su but the fear-based culture starts with her. She commonly operates in this way with other executives. These are is THE reasons I left. I wish I didn’t have to but my personal life and mental health were suffering. Many people in the same boat however couldn’t seem to take that step because the next paycheck or bonus is so attractive, and explains why tenure is often quite long.