Pros
Coworkers are awesome people and intellectually stimulating. Schedule is pretty predictable day to day. Not impossible to have a Vacation and we have a Mandatory Christmas shutdown the last week of December which is rejuvenating. There's a chance to do something great in cutting edge fields for certain products.
Cons
Lack of opportunity to advance in Santa Clara Stagnant salaries with no indication of improvement No incentive to push yourself since it will not mean advancement or significant salary increases. Management is done by people in another part of the country who don't really know you, nor do they care to know you. They are also very cutthroat about everything, oftentimes justifying their existence. When someone retires or quits here, their job opens up in another part of the country. Working with the East Coast means your basic human needs are not met on California time...i.e. Lunch after 2pm or its being done at your desk or during a meeting, but East Coast gets their lunch by 9am. Lunch is not provided in any meetings that are held during the lunch hour. Salary is not competitive with basic living expenses in this area. Mandatory 9/80 work schedule (it would be a Pro, if it was a choice) Benefits are bare bones (1 provider to choose from, high cost burden for a decent plan)