QUALCOMM – “Good colleagues; poor managers, and very slow career growth”

Pros

Great Benefits and very bright people. If you are lucky and working on a reasonable project, it can be fun.

Cons

Upper management believes in its own technical skills too much. They won't branch out and won't understand new things. They understand at one level that the licensing business won't last forever, but don't actual support the people they hire who understand other businesses and technologies. The growth opportunities are also very, very limited. It's a "time in grade" approach to promotion.

Advice to Senior Management

You've hired bright people; believe them. Treating folks out of top universities with many years internal experience as if they were interchangeable cogs is both rude and foolish.