Lam Research Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Lam Research as an intern for more than a year

Pros – Leadership thinks about problems and you work with high caliber people.

Cons – None that I can think of

Advice to Senior Management – Continue what you are doing.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Lam Research

Pros – Good, hard-working folks who are happy to help

Cons – None to speak of, really

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Lam Research full-time

Pros – The culture at LAM Research (Novellus before that) has always been positive for me and I have been there 5+ years. I like the 10 hour shifts and supervision has always treated us fairly and with respect. The present bonus, stock purchase and benefits programs at present are all things that I am happy about.

Cons – For whatever reason, upper management does not seem to appreciate or respect what we do in manufacturing. New employees are offered low-ball wages which are way out of line with market value. After that, promotions and raises are nearly non-existent. An above average yearly "merit" raise is 4%. Most get 2%. As a result, retention of employees, to management's surprise for some reason, is dismally low.

Advice to Senior Management – As the job market gets tighter for skilled labor in this industry, as it most certainly will, it is probably not a good idea to pinch pennies when it comes to hiring and retaining talent. The systems that you build and test are far too complex to leave to amateurs. Unfortunately, almost all of the real talent that you had to troubleshoot issues has gone to greener pastures. Reward the ones you have left before it is too late to recover.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Lam Research full-time

Pros – They appear to value and respect their employees.

Cons – The company expects and demands its employees to spend non-working hours on weeknights and weekends performing activities that could easily be accomplished during normal working hours. This seems to demonstrate the company's lack of respect for the employee's spouse and family.

Advice to Senior Management – Employees prefer to spend their non-working hours and weekends with their spouses and families. Please attempt to schedule required activities during normal working hours.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Lam Research as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Very cool research and people, next to a food plaza and Club Sport. Very good set of culture values.

Cons – Lacking in benefits and sometimes can be somewhat boring.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Lam Research full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – (1) Very smart people in technology groups (most of them with PhDs)
(2) Growth path can be negotiated with management upfront
(3) Lot of challenges and opportunities to perform every quarter

Cons – (1) Must be ultra-motivated and willing to work overtime (for free, of course!)
(2) Too much travel sometimes

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Lam Research full-time

Pros – Great leadership, culture, innovative and collaborative environment

Cons – Often reactionary semi-organized chaos. As with other companies there is opportunity to improve

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Lam Research as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Cared about interns
Well-paid
Large group of interns
Real work experience
Friendly Coworkers
Networking opportunities
Well established program

Cons – Not a lot of intern to full-time employee offers
More conservative culture
Fremont isn't the most fun part of the bay area for college students

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Lam Research full-time for less than a year

Pros – Successful company with an excellent management philosophy. Many opportunities throughout the world. An excellent model for growing their customer base.

Cons – Limited personal growth potential outside of Tualatin, OR or San Jose, CA. Starting salaries are less than mediocre especially for experienced employees. Limited chance for employee creativity if in customer support. Management philosophy is not practiced by field managers. Having to work every weekend provides an extremely poor work/life balance.

Advice to Senior Management – Address salary inequities of employees. Find ways for field employees to mature and grow outside of being a maintenance guy their whole career. Ha

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Lam Research full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – They are the market leaders in etch, and have aspirations to lead other markets. Merger with Novellus Systems should prove positive in the future. Pay is good, although benefits have steadily declined over the past few years.

Cons – People are treated terrible, even by semi industry standards. It is very common to hire new college grads and work them until they can't take it anymore and leave. There are never enough people for the workload, especially after 2008 they are very hesitant to hire to meet business needs. If you go to work at Lam expect a minimum of 60 hour work weeks and few weekends off.

Advice to Senior Management – The core values are important all the time, not just at PM&D time. Go back to the way things were in the Jim Bagley days where the people were Lam's most important asset.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company