Pros
This is specific FPG system design (former Sandisk System) team. Opportunity to learn a lot of things outside of your job function. If you are willing to step up, opportunity is “unlimited”. And since you will be doing a lot, you will learn a lot. Management is waiting for this type of people, people who is willing to step up. So you will have a lot of visibility too
Cons
This company or this group (FPG), definitely has more things to do than man power can handle. Management commits a lot upward. Commitment includes more projects, tighter time line but with no added budget. The theme is "I know you all have potential to do more, so do more". The end result is “good” engineers are asked to do multiple projects/role at a time. “Good engineers” means the responsible/diligent type. They get to do more and more. I see some of the really good technologists and sr technologists titles working 12-16 hours a day, multiple role and accountabilities, such as system lead and PDT lead, and yet management still tells them, per your title, more are expected. Management wants squeeze every bit out of the engineers. It is not a single manager’s issue. It is the culture of this group. The boundary between work and life completely disappeared. We have people who calls meeting with India team on Friday lunch time. It is India’s midnight Friday. We have people working with India team, work starts on Sunday evening every week. Management officially will not endorse this, but they hold on to a very tight and unreasonable delivery schedule too. It is up to the engineers to figure out how to get it done. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” strategy. Management knows the long working and night shift hours, they just let it be. Now let’s move on to the “bad engineers”. There is also no accountability for them. If you have a thick skin and slack, you won’t get fired. Because man power is already low, any productivities are better than no productivities. Management just ask the “good engineers” to pick up the slack. That is why learning opportunities are tremendous because you will be asked, and do everyone else’s job. To make matter worse, when time comes to annual review, high level promotions are all within the circle. You see people with very little contributions become directors or even senior directors. People who has never delivered one project in the last 5 years, who just talk big and pass responsibility to others, get promotes to distinguished engineers. On the other hand, people who really delivers, get a pad on the shoulders, no promotions. Because there is a “quota”, “Not every deserving one will get promotion at once”. But it is really if you are not in that circle. Compensation wise, I have been here for 10 years, my pay per my title is below average by quite a margin. WDC’s average is below industry average already. So I know I am way below. And there is nothing management can do because "budget is always tight". For these reasons list above, there is a huge attrition going on now, across the globe. This place is very toxic at the moment. "burn out = glory". I am very disappointed this place comes to this.