Elmer and all:
I just completed my exit interview with Intel, and I wanted to give folks an update, now that I'm able to speak freely. ;-)
Several months ago I was requested by my manager to relocate to North Carolina to support SAS Institute and their various microprocessor porting/tuning efforts. I had been supporting them remotely from St. Louis for about 3 months, but SAS and Intel wanted an Applications Engineer on-site. Being a stubborn Missouri native my entire life, I turned down a nice promotion and big raise, and decided to accept the generous separation package (including the free PC, which I'm typing on now).
I searched in vain to find an Intel manager willing to hire a telecommuter. My arguments about the convenience of having a centrally-located engineer to support the Midwest and Eastern regions weren't persuasive enough (I can fly just about anywhere in the region in 2-2.5 hours, versus 5-6 hours with layovers for Left Coast engineers).
There have been postings recently about the harsh working environment at Intel. I didn't find any of this, though as a remote employee I didn't have the daily interactions that some others had. Most meeting weren't confrontational at all, but I'll admit I had some unpleasant phone calls with management after I told them I wouldn't move to North Carolina. My overall impression with Intel management is neutral - I had the very best manager of my career while employed there, but I also had the worst while I was at Intel. There's definitely a micro-managing climate, IMO, that doesn't support telecommuting professionals without direct supervision.
That's enough rambling for now. My first non-Intel tidbit of information is that I've heard Americas and European sales are still sluggish, but that APAC has picked up nicely (can't quantify anything, however - hey, can I be an analyst?). I'm still quite bullish on Intel, and plan on exercising and holding my stock options (I have 90 days, and yes they're still profitable even with the stock price decline). I may even buy all my options outright, rather than selling the portion necessary to cover taxes and fees - I haven't decided yet. INTC is by far my largest investment, and one of my most profitable (still not as good as QCOM).
I look forward to providing insight from the sidelines now - good luck to all.
Ex-Intel employee Adam |
