Pros
The upsides of The Mathworks: -- Stable company, which is highly profitable and will continue to be so for some time to come. -- It is a safe, secure, low-risk environment, where you will not get laid off if you are a decent performer relative to your peers, if you work well with others, and if you don't annoy any of the certain wrong persons. -- Benefits are pretty good relative to most of the corporate world these days. The Mathworks of 2011 is a fine place to work for certain kinds of people. You will be fine here if: -- You are not bothered by overarching bureaucracy and process that invades every aspect of the workplace. -- You are OK with the concept that there is only "One Right Way" to do anything. -- You are a young person with modest aspirations (don't care about making much money, and not ambitious for career advancement) -- You are an experienced person who can suspend disbelief, ignore much of what you have learned with your experience, and just do as you are told without challenging it (even if you know better).
Cons
The downsides of The Mathworks: -- It is nearly impossible accomplish things efficiently and productively, due to all of the process, bureaucracy, and endless review and analysis of the smallest things. -- Rigid, draconian rules of control (such as no telecommuting or working at home). -- Risk-taking and innovation are not permitted unless it originates from one of the special few people, most of whom are old-timers. -- The company's financial performance depends on the near-monopoly status of it's major products. That status is starting to get chipped away by open source alternatives, although it's going to take a very long time for this to have a significant impact. You will not like working at The Mathworks if: -- You like to get things done. -- You are ambitious and have financial or career aspirations. -- You are any kind of unconventional, non-conforming, or independent-thinking; or if you have significant experience, and have courage in your convictions. Any of those traits will be dysfunctional and will lead to an unhappy ending (assuming you are able to get hired).