Moving up based on favoritism, not merit - Quality Illumina Employee Review

2.0
Mar 10, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. Company sponsored happy hours (beer/wine/food) 2. Flexible work schedule and ability to work remote 3. Nice and progressive campus 4. Gym on campus 5. Offers electric car charging stations to employees 6. Amphitheater on campus (not many people can say they have that on campus)

Cons

1. Climbing corporate ladder means making 'friends' with right people instead of actual merit or ability to perform job 2. Rampant 'boys club' mentality with very little women at higher management positions or even given opportunity for them (decisions are made behind closed doors) 3. If you don't get promoted you can always apply for a higher position culture vs. actually earning through merit 4. Director level titles are given out like candy to people who don't actually deserve or know how to do the job 5. Some HR personnel should be taken to HR for being biased and partial to a party's side 6. Company is still very wasteful and very 'ungreen' with respect to Manufacturing and packaging given to our customers, we throw so much away in the trash that ends up taking up our precious and limited landfill space 7. Building and campus improvements are not well thought out where we undo or redo what we did and vice versa 8. Constant desk movements are a waste of money and bring inefficiencies based on where you are located, so that you spend part of your day in transit between meetings that are in different buildings and in the end missing part of the meetings because you're late

Explore other reviews about Illumina

5.0
Oct 19, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

great benefits, good working culture

Cons

Has gone through a lot of change over the past few years but stable now...

4.0
Jul 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Stuck with them for 7 years because it was good back then. Comp is good, benefits are good, and if you're on campus its a nice experience. If you find the right team it can be a dream, but the flipside can be awful. Overall they have a lack of direction in what is turning out to be a highly competitive market.

Cons

Corporate bureaucracy and internal politics are strong but could be worse. The benefits were better in the past and all the perks are winding down with time as they tighten the budgets and try hard to pivot away from dying segments

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