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Applied Optoelectronics

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Smart, young engineers, but lazy company culture - Anonymous employee Applied Optoelectronics Employee Review

2.0
Feb 20, 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some of the smartest engineers I had the pleasure of meeting and working with.

Cons

Most engineers are either new grads from overseas here on visa's or engineers laid off from Texas Instruments that are trying not to relocate for another job at a bigger player in this industry. The management only has eyes for the core group of wafer chip engineers and just ignores all other supporting departments, leaving them with nothing but lazy workers who have no drive or ambition to get things done. I did equipment and trying to get anything done was impossibly slow. They love to schedule meetings when they do listen, but then nothing gets done at those meetings - they just feel like ted talks to deaf ears. It really feels like one of those companies that you get whatever experience you can out of it to then apply somewhere else. Nobody is passionate here. Nobody stays here and the company doesn't give off impressions that they care how many engineers roll in and out as long as they're still producing wafers / chips.

Explore other reviews about Applied Optoelectronics

5.0
Dec 14, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A lol company that brings you nightmare?

Cons

A company that makes you pick a mental health insurance

1.0
Jul 16, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Growing industry, the Sugar Land headquarters is a nice facility.

Cons

The organization does not position itself as caring about the individual development of its individual people they need in order to stay around. The company is exclusively focused on the growth of the organization and meeting a staffing headcount, that it completely disregards the value of putting its actual people first. Then leadership has the audacity to wonder why the attrition is so high, especially from the non exempt departments. People will not stay here and deal with condescending leadership, passive aggressive or not, and inequitable pay for long hours and work task well above the titles you insist on keeping them in. Lack of a nepotism clause, lack of leadership or any real change initiatives, inequitable pay, condescending leadership, treatment of non exempt employees as a second class workforce.

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