Good people but poor compensation and rewards - Senior Design Engineer AMD Employee Review

2.0
3 Sept 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The microprocessor designs are on the cutting edge, so it is technically interesting. Coworkers are generally friendly and technically savvy.

Cons

Raises are poor or nonexistent. There is a culture among management of disparaging employees' performance and finding excuses not to give raises or promotions or even pats on the back. This can foster an attitude of not really trusting any coworkers, as compared to other tech companies where I've been where people do a better job of pulling together. I was a staff engineer at my previous company, with the corresponding years of experience, but took a position at AMD as a senior engineer because of what I believed were growth opportunities, as well as the promise of raises, promotions, and bonuses. Instead, I have not received a raise or promotion in three years, and have been given a 10% "temporary" pay cut due to the recession. In addition they have cut 401(k) and sabbatical benefits. Criticism is quick to come when you make a honest mistake, even the first time when you're learning something new, but if you do something outstanding or above and beyond the call of duty, you're told it was only what was expected of you. Between that and the low pay, it can be a very discouraging place to work. It's not a place where very many high achievers stay for very long.

Explore other reviews about AMD

5.0
9 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very exciting work, so much so I work 20hours a day. No distractions from silly/fun events. Food is meh so I can focus on work. Coffee is also very mid, not good, not bad but mid.

Cons

Not enough work, I only work 20 hour a day, I still have 4 hours to sleep. And on the weekends, we still have 3 hour leisure time. We still accept People who gets hired expecting to work only a measly 80 hour week.

4.0
13 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

It's a big company. So, a lot of great benefits and high pay. Also, a lot of opportunity for career advancement and internal transfers if a particular job/team doesn't fit (to avoid losing RSUs). Plus, they're not too hard on you regarding performance since all the performance reviews are qualitative rather than quantitative (that could be both a pro and a con, honestly).

Cons

It's a big company. So, a lot of bureaucracy. They get in the way of themselves requiring endless approvals for spending. Also small organizations within AMD being territorial about their particular domain rather than being as open as possible inhibits rapid progress. Also, pushing for "diversity and inclusion" is racist. They should ignore race, not try to have a representative sampling of the population. I give them a low score there because DEI is racist. But not minimal because it's only something the HR dept cares about, normal employees effectively ignore race from what I can tell. So even if management is woke, the company (the individuals) are not.

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