Pros
Varian is an old school medical capital equipment company. Old school can be a good thing and Varian has some truly wonderful people working at the company. In general, Varian employees are smart, dedicated, work with a purpose (curing cancer), are genuine, honest and pleasant to be around. Varian's products and services are a crucial part of the oncology ecosystem and impact cancer patients around the globe. Fidelity 401k services are solid and the company offers a match. The company has a very good cafeteria and also offers a nice on-campus gym. Large campus in the heart of Palo Alto.
Cons
Unfortunately, Varian seems to be firmly out of touch with its Silicon Valley environs. To start, infrastructure around the campus (from hardware to software) harken back decades and modernization does not seem to be a priority. Company practices and corporate systems are archaic and not up-to-date with industry standards which is very frustrating. Varian almost seems to embrace its disinterest in being current and this attitude affects the culture, employee attraction and employee retention. Compensation is also very out of touch especially for a company operating in the heart of Silicon Valley. Many employees question the compensation structure at Varian but management has never taken any action. Good employees will leave Varian because compensation restructuring is not addressed. I learned that the company targets the 50% percentile when it comes to compensation; not exactly forward thinking. Also, Varian does not offer bonuses or stock grants which are standard offerings at other medical device companies in the area.