IAC Reviews in Edison, NJ

Pros

Flexible working schedule, we can come anytime. And it is ok to work from home
Have many technical challenges in working. Working on the cutting edge answer/search engine. There are many open research and engineering topics. ASK is very good starting point for the newly graduated PHDs and MSs.
Good collaboration among the co-workers. Most developers are very young, they can work together to solve problems, often over a game of ping pong / Wii / Footsball

Cons

Ask.com has vey strong competitors. ASK lacks resouce to be the best search engine or answer engine. The scope that ASK can developed itself is very limited. Top executives seems to be not very interested in ASK's own core technology.

Advice to Senior Management

none

Pros

Everyone else except the management people are very talented engineers. The very few remaining good engineers are very friendly, helpful, and respectful. You can learn new stuff.

Cons

Management is dysfunctional, promotions are based on whether you work on the hottest project at the time of evaluation and not on your past full year of work. Annual review is useless. No career or salary growth unless you know the right people. Talent is unhappy and leaving rapidly. HR person is wonderful but powerless.

Advice to Senior Management

Lay off more managers. Hire more engineers. 2 layers of managers are enough for an efficient productive company. Focus on career growth. Stop giving useless gifts. Remuneration and company events matter more.

Pros

You will definitely have an opportunity to get your feet wet and learn a few things particularly if you are in the early stages of your career

Cons

There was too much politics being played out in the company and very little time spent in actually working towards achieving the stated objectives

Advice to Senior Management

Get people who actually have leadership and management skills to manage the people. And try to implement a meritocracy, favoritism is bound to take the company down.

Pros

Edison: Friendly environment among software engineers. They work hard, are respectful and genuine. Most of them are really smart.

Cons

Edison: Management makes unbelievable mistakes. Promotion and career growth suck. This makes people look for jobs in other places.

Advice to Senior Management

Edison: Let the old guys go away and listen to what the software engineers have to say. Promote people who are smart and have experience, not the ones that the big bosses think are smart. Because they aren't and don't get the bigger picture. Try to learn from Barry.

Pros

Flexible working environment. Colleagues are nice.

Cons

Lack of communication, transparency. The senior managers does not care about employee, company nor shareholders, and lack professionalism in speaking and doing things. Frequent reorganization. No clear career path nor performance system.

Advice to Senior Management

Be honest, communicate instead of dictate, build career development system to build morale.