OpenTV – “Great technology, weak management, lack of a winning business plan.”
Pros
Pride in the product, great engineering teamwork. There are some of the very experienced and talented digital television engineers working at the company. You can learn alot about technology working at the company and with these people.
Cons
There is little chance for advancement. Since the company is still struggling to make a profit, money is always tight. This limits growth opportunities for the company, and hence the employees.
The multiple changes in CEOs, moving to SF from Mtn. View, lack of clear product specs and project management, feeds the perception of poor executive vision and leadership.
There is a steady stream of maintenance issues that engineers need to work on, it is not all new product feature work.
The individual groups at OpenTV are very separated, there is not enough learning and idea exchanging going on between the teams.
Advice to Senior Management
The middle management of OpenTV may be misrepresenting what is being built, by whom, and how it is going. Be sure and get to know some of the individual contributors so you can verify the truth and the culture.