San Jose: learn and make good money, then maybe move on - Senior Engineer MediaTek Employee Review

MediaTek is without a doubt a top company with a bright future and great products that you probably already use. Great, so buy the stock. But do you want to work here? It depends on who you are and what you want in an employer. Personally I enjoyed my time at MediaTek. Others who wanted to do original work had a negative experience. So on their behalf, minus one star. In Taiwan MediaTek is an elite employer. In Silicon Valley, not so much. Taiwan runs the show at this company. Core values stressing innovation notwithstanding, if you want to get your novel ideas adopted, that might not work out. Your opportunity at MediaTek is to master the job you are hired to do while making good money, then move on to another company. Many employees in Silicon Valley are expatriates from Taiwan. Large meetings are in English, but most conversations take place in Chinese. Even in Silicon Valley, the corporate culture is Taiwanese. But you could do worse. People are generally well behaved. Family is highly valued. Taiwanese business and technology have proven themselves as first rate, particularly in semiconductors. Respect. Many employees spend a lot of time in evening meetings with Taiwan. On the other hand, if you are a late riser it's fine to arrive at the office at 11:00AM (but confirm with your hiring manager). In any company, you need knowledge and personal relationships with upper echelons to advance. At MediaTek it is very hard to know what is going on and who the players are. MediaTek US is the most difficult environment for advancement that I have ever seen. During my time at MediaTek San Jose, I saw only one promotion. Diversity is very low. The vast majority of employees are Taiwanese, many on temporary assignment from headquarters. Even mainland Chinese are under-represented. Gender diversity is about the same as other Silicon Valley companies but almost all women are Taiwanese. Many non-Taiwanese staff have a cultural connection to Taiwan, such as time living in Taiwan, a Taiwanese spouse or business experience in Asia. Consider your own compatibility with East Asian culture when considering a job at MediaTek. The pay is very good. A large portion of your compensation will be in the form of a semiannual bonus paid in February and August. I was told verbally (they will not put it in writing) that the target would be 20% of my salary. I did my job and was awarded a 16% bonus (32% annualized, 38% over target). Over the six month bonus period, MediaTek stock rose 42%. So the MediaTek bonus is a reasonable proxy for stock-based compensation like RSUs or ESOP. I was surprised to receive only half-bonuses in my first year, with the second half vesting a year later. The facilities are very good. In San Jose all line employees get their own cubicle. Managers get a private office. There is adequate lab space. The building is clean, modern, well maintained and centrally located. The company provides dinner, subsidized vending machines and free Peet's coffee. In summary, if MediaTek offers you a position where you can learn something good, or clock time holding a title you covet, go for it. If you value speaking Chinese with Taiwanese coworkers, that also works. Then, when you want to advance or do something new, that may have to happen at another company. PROS: MediaTek is a well managed, profitable, stable company. The elite headquarters team in Taiwan can execute to create great products for you to sell. Good pay. More paid time off than the industry standard, but you must use four days of it during the year-end holiday shutdown. Good place to get experience. If you are Taiwanese, the culture and language will be comfortable. You can visit your family when you are on business trips. The travel authorization form even asks how many PTO days you will take during your trip. You just pay the incremental cost to i.e. Shanghai. Good for late risers / night owls. Private office / cubicle, not open floor plan (San Jose). Good equipment and technical support.