Not for the faint hearted - Senior Member of Technical Staff Applied Materials Employee Review

3.0
10 Jan 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very high pace of work and technical demands - challenging - you work on the cutting edge and AMAT is actively looking for new business areas to pursue. Some mix of the good qualities of a big company (institutions and internal functions work OK, overall consistency of workforce is OK - few idiots hired, year to year performance is solid) with some of the good qualities of a small company (people are actively looking for new business and feel connected to the bottom line). The AMAT name goes a long way when talking to suppliers and vendors and that makes you more effective.

Cons

Hire and fire culture still exists in 2011-2012, ten years after the bust. Forced shutdowns means vacation time is eaten up. You have job security if you move around in the company and look for opportunities inside. If you stick in the same spot you will eventually get RIF'ed no matter what your competency. Huge turnover rate means you get people coming and going and coming back all the time. Causes AMAT to have a bad rep sometimes when the person who is about to leave just drops the supplier/vendor relationship like a lead balloon.

Explore other reviews about Applied Materials

5.0
10 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun/enagaging, team based and very welcoming. Tech company

Cons

Tech company, and the culture is unique

2.0
8 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Salary, I was compensated very well, the I hated working there so much that I resigned without anything even lined up. It was a good move for my mental health.

Cons

The leadership in general are not very intelligent, disorganized, and uncommunicative. They were decades behind in certain areas that lead to massive inefficiencies and overwork. (Out of respect I will not be specific). I suggested an improvement that would have taken task time down from 8 hours to virtually real time, but the executive Team, in their arrogance, did not allow me to implement the system. Sometime later, the cumbersome, unreliable system was not working and a deadline approaching. I worked 20 hours per day for 7 days and built an entire real time reporting system - then resigned. No one at AMAT was ever helpful. It always seemed an inconvenience to give a colleague outside ones group the time of day. I gained absolutely ZERO new skills or professional development at AMAT all my time there. Many of the employees at the time, including senior management, felt free to publicly express invectives against the current POTUS in their suffering TDS. Another reason I could not work in the environment. Rules for thee and not for me.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All