Cool legacy products, good people, but you can do better
Pros
What was for many years a shining star in Austin and greatly admired and respected in the Test & Measurement industry, is just another tech company waiting to get acquired through a leveraged buyout. Work/life balance Non-compensation benefits Typically good direct managers, varies by department Cool products and applications Good cafe if you make it back onsite Inclusion and diversity Great customer base Some of the culture that Dr. T created is still around in some pockets
Cons
Leadership is clueless on how to right the ship Raises are minuscule and don't keep pace with inflation Benefits are a bit outdated Overly political, process, check list oriented Below average pay. When you finally get to the the point of making good money, you're an outlier and become a target for layoff/separation. Salary compression is real. Stagnant growth for years now with the new product pipeline very stale and basically trying to recycle the same products and strategy into new markets. It's too much of a leap for many new customers and they tend to stick with the status quo or something cheaper. Meaningless catch phrases, broken promises from leadership, endless optimism with no effective plan to drive it home Profit sharing targets not hit in over 20 years. Until recently, the target annual growth was 40% which hadn't been achieved since the 90's. It was finally lowered to 20% which is still extremely unrealistic. 5% is more likely, if even possible. Who suffers from this? The employees, not executive leadership! The only value in the ESPP plan is cashing in on the 15% discount as the price has been flat for many years. You may get lucky by selling on a market up tick but those are typically years apart. Too many golden parachute Executives (mostly externally hired now) with no understanding of the industry, customer base, and win whether or not the company is successful. They are not held accountable for failed plans and visions, yet still received ridiculous raises, bonuses, stock options, and guaranteed buy out. They're puppets playing the game and then on to the next gig while many dedicated employees are holding the company together. NI is now a stepping stone, not a career builder
