For my first company report, I’ll be taking a look at Intel. This company is very large, with over 100,000 employees in 46 countries. The culture of the company is described as egalitarian, placing less emphasis on seniority, and judging work on merit. Most workers do not have offices, and instead work on multiple teams, some virtual, and often with colleagues in different countries and time zones. There is no dress code, and hours are flexible, but the company is very results oriented, and some employees describe the environment as high stress and fast paced. Annual reviews are individual, which can sometimes foster competition and tension between team members.
Intel’s mission is stated on their website as: This decade we will create and extend computing technology to connect and enrich the lives of every person on earth. Noble enough. They also sponsor the Intel Science Talent Search, and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, both designed to bring young people into the sciences. Their Intel Foundation seeks to bring women and minorities into the famously white and male STEM fields. They also have a program which encourages their employees to donate their time to their local communities in a variety of areas, including but not limited to education and environmental programs. I was unable to find any significant controversies involving the company, other than one ad that apparently caused a kerfuffle.
Their campus located in Hillsboro, OR, a suburb of Portland, would be my location of choice, being both near to my friends and family, and a great place to live besides. The cost of living in Portland is comparable to other cities on the west coast, with a unique culture that you’ll either love or hate. I love it. It has all the amenities of a large city, but a much smaller feel.
Overall, Intel seems pretty friendly and responsible for a large company. As a large company, some employees may feel that their relationship with the company is impersonal, or that the culture is stressful or demanding, but I doubt that there are many workplaces that can avoid that dynamic altogether, especially one so large as Intel. I really like their community outreach programs, and their dedication to inspiring a love of science and technology in populations that have historically been overlooked by the tech industry, except as sources of cheap labor. Plus, it sure would look great on a resume!