Rigorously disciplined - Anonymous employee Applied Materials Employee Review

3.0
Jul 29, 2010
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I've never worked anywhere that is so well organized and disciplined. It's an attribute that comes from building high precision machinery and being extremely focused on customer needs. The corporate infrastructure is very efficient, the people are incredibly smart, and it's a good working environment with benefits of a large organization.

Cons

If you're not working in critical path of a near-term product, you're not taken seriously in this customer-focused culture. The salary is mediocre, and the stock has flat-lined for years, so there's a big disparity between those that have been there through the "glory" years (when stock was worth something) and today. The industry isn't known for its creativity - and the feeling in the hallways reflects that. Tendency to promote the same small group of selected executives despite their poor performance.

Explore other reviews about Applied Materials

5.0
May 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Wonderful staff - great company all around

Cons

Cannot think of any cons.

4.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good health insurance, pay is just enough to not quit, 4% 401k contribution gives 3% match, stock purchase program is 15% discount no annually. Work is hit and miss, sometimes your left to struggle and there very little support, other times things are planned out and well executed. This company promotes from within more often than not so there is a ladder to climb. The work is 12hr shifts which is good for long weekends, but if things are busy with lots of projects you will be asked to come in for overtime. 60hr weeks 2x a month is very common. You can say no, but it’s discouraged in a few ways 😉

Cons

Management is very hit and miss, for the last decade we’ve had the avg stay of a manger <1yr. If you have a good one, they get burnt out from unreasonable expectations, and if you have a bad one they’re so disconnected you get nothing out of it. As a whole, due to leadership being promoted from within they tend to be very resistant to making any changes to their system because it worked a decade ago. This industry moves rapidly, because it was the best a decade ago does not mean it’s the best today. The raise structure is silly. Every year they’ve changed to it to have more disconnect from you and the people who approve raises. Most managers claim they’re told how much each employee is getting from someone that the employee is never met, and then have to argue over how to distribute an additional 5% over the entire team. This means if you work as hard as you can, and really stand out from your peers, you can get an additional 2% for an annual raise and your manager will claim that the best possible.

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