Pros
Relatively laid-back atmosphere, but that comes at a cost (see Cons). Austin campus is nice. Compensation for this position is acceptable.
Cons
My career has stalled and I’ve fallen behind. I’ve only worked on one thing in the years that I’ve been here; while my peers elsewhere seem to constantly be learning new things and using the latest technologies. Nothing I have done here is worth putting on a resume. The laid-back atmosphere is because no-one can move any faster. There’s too much bureaucracy, miscommunication, lack of enthusiasm, and incoordination to make anything happen. This leads to stressful deadlines for tasks that should have been relatively easy and quick to carry out. A lot of stuff gets pushed out or shelved entirely as a result. NI is very resistant to new methods, ideas, etc because either no-one in power has the guts to push it; or they tried a long time ago and it was difficult so they gave up and will never try it again. New CEO and his C-people only care about growth and keeping shareholders happy. The rest of the management has fallen in line with that or left. It’s now a depressing environment with poor morale. I heard a lot of talk about “NI culture” when I came here. NI doesn’t have a culture.