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Cypress Semiconductor

Is this your company?

Probably the worst job ever. - Product Marketing Manager Cypress Semiconductor Employee Review

1.0
Sep 13, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting technology, interesting CEO with good core values on paper. Stock options, ESPP, RSUs were good, got worse, might get better.

Cons

Company core value claims to "deplore" politics. The reality is the opposite. TJ, surrounds himself with yes-men. The most recent VP is notorious for being obsequious in public to the CEO that it's embarrassing. It's not even yes-TJ - it's always yessir. The most interesting product (core PSOC) doesn't really work. USB is boring and in decline. Memories are boring and in rapid decline. Anyone who points out problems in any business gets shoved to the side and out. It doesn't matter how bad or good you are. You should be a yesman (no women appear to be allowed) and be a CY NCG hire. Outsiders get all the abuse and blame. CEO pushes to move to being a "systems and solutions" company, but doesn't let anyone who understands systems and solutions to even speak in front of him. His obsolete ideas on SRAM are used as a model for logic design and fw/software design. Everything is done by rote and checklist based on decades old obsolete waterfall strategies which might work if you're designing transistors (SRAM), but they don't apply to systems and solutions which are built iteratively. There are periodic fits of initiatives - the current one being Design Win Replication, which means if big customer asks for a particular solution, they try to rebuild it for that customer's competition as a generic part. Customer problems get reviewed all the time in the board room and heads roll frequently. TJ will issue a mandate, VPs follow it blindly and 6 months later TJ will forgot he set it up a recent way and VPs will scramble to go back to the old way. Weeks are lost preparing for these meetings, with all levels of employees on call and standby to be verbally abused and questioned by the CEO himself on problems years old. A chinese or indian engineer got fired once as he didn't understand english and annoyed TJ on the call. Oh, you better understand american foosball, as TJ is a Packers fanatic thinks that somehow that's relevant to chip design. The VP of HR isn't an HR person - he's another old employee who's drifted from one project to another. He's cut stock grants and RSUs to the bone, complicated the hiring and firing processes to the point where it might take 6 months to hire someone in a low cost region, but only after you fire someone in a higher cost region. Salaries are by design at the average market point or a little below, but they want to hire "only the best." New college grads are reviewed by the VP staff and must be at least at the top in the grades, but have to accept average salaries. Worst job ever.

Explore other reviews about Cypress Semiconductor

5.0
Apr 12, 2022
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A lot of opportunities to make an impact

Cons

Very aggressive work culture may not work for some

3.0
Aug 19, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Cypress is a good place to obtain "thick skin" as demonstrated in its cutthroat enviroment. I think its a good place to start a career, but not necessarily remain. Cypress is a great place to grow through many of the educational services they offer. They have a great rotation program which allows college graduates to experience all aspects of the business. Cypress is also big on allowing marketeers to work abroad and learn international cultures. After proving yourself in the United States they will allow you to move to Europe or Asia and support customers on your own. Overall there are many positive things for college grads.

Cons

Cypress is a tough and demanding place to work. The management will belittle employees in large meetings. This is a very data driven company and not customer driven. We care much more about ourselves then our customers. Our CEO T.J. Rodgers is the driver behind this type of culture. He is a no "B.S." type of guy and is very brutal in operations reviews. Cypress has a terrible 401K plan which matches only up to $2000 of a contribution. Cypress facilities are also straight out of the 80's and out of date. Sometimes you feel like you are working for a company in 1985.

6
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