MathWorks reviews

The company has A LOT of process (new & untried that needs refinement; legacy; and genuinely great stuff), and is extremely structured. If you like working in an environment that is flexible, adaptive, and has a less formal approach... you will find this much like pushing a boulder up a cliff, or allowing it to roll over you. One of the mindsets is, "we've been there, done that, and whatever new ideas you may have-- they've already been tried." Getting past this mindset is nearly impossible. If you do get past it, chances are you will have proposed a new process, whether that was your goal or not. For these reasons, it is a great place for those who come to the company to be trained by and shaped in the unique process and methodologies they have instated at MathWorks.

1. Numerous directors told me no one can speak directly, that it is unacceptable to discuss differences of opinions in the open. You have to do it one-on-one. This culture often makes it dangerous to take the initiative when you should. The end result is that many people settle into secure positions and stop thinking and innovating, and wait to be told what to do. Accepting this compromise is destructive for dynamic people, and in the long run it will have serious consequences for the company. 2. Management has said that the main purpose of the performance appraisal system is to improve employees through intense criticism. Recognizing contributions to the company is a secondary objective. This poor policy is compounded by the fact that the senior management lacks the insight into people and culture needed to exercise anything approaching this level of control over people. 3. The company line says this is a high trust environment. A colleague told me after he left that it is a low trust environment, and he could have survived if he had played it that way from the start. I agree with his assessment. 4. For a person who wants to do his job and go home without a lot of personal engagement, MathWorks is on balance no worse than the average company, and in some ways it is better.