Pros
Tektronix' glory days of the late 20th century have waned, but in spite of its corporate takeover and loss of original vision by its founders, the DNA of the company continues on. The individual contributors working here in the form of amazing engineers are still some of the smartest people on the planet. While the problems Tektronix focuses on are miniature (by definition - electronic instruments focus on the very small), the technology is nothing short of amazing.
Cons
Tektronix management, starting at the very top with its current and most recent President, are driven by Danaher financial and manufacturing mentalities. This form of corporate management works well in reducing "waste." It is not nearly as effective in creating the future. R&D operations are substantially more costly and "wasteful" than manufacturing. In spite of Danaher's "DBS" (modeled on Toyota's approaches) promotion of the company as a "learning organism," Tektronix has been eviscerated since the take-over in the name of cost cutting and the bad economy. Pruning and cost cutting may be a necessary evil in today's environment, but the specific choices Tektronix has made to meet Danaher's goals speaks to the current state of mis-management. For example, when the current trend in almost every corporation around the world is to increase design thinking, Tektronix (and many of Danaher's other operating companies) have laid off entire departments of designers - mostly because they don't know what to do with them or where to "put" them.
