Downward Spiral - Field Service Engineer Lam Research Employee Review

1.0
Mar 21, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits (health insurance, LOA options, dental insurance), bonus, and ESPP.

Cons

Approximately every 2 years Lam Research does a large amount of layoffs to hit their earnings numbers to look good to shareholders. This severely hurts the ability for workers to perform all their tasks since most of the layoffs are the blue collar workers causing their to be smaller numbers amd support for the actual hands on work such as maintaining equipment and manufacturing. Management is largely not personable and cares very little about the individual and will put there workers at risk as long as they hit their goals and look good on paper. The expectations for workers from managers are largely unspoken despite a core value of open communication. Oftentimes workers are exposed to unsafe environments that violate Lam's electrical health and safety policies and managers ask their workers to be quiet about the violations so they don't get in trouble. The raises rarely keep up with cost of living making it to the benefits don't make it worth staying long term here.

Explore other reviews about Lam Research

5.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lead business and overview of business

Cons

Too many travelling to international

2.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pay is market rate or slightly higher. Smart new fresh grads join every year. They work hard.

Cons

Avoid Dielectric Etch Org as much as you can. Both product and process engineering. Constant Pressure, extreme long work hours, You are working 7/8 AM to 9/10PM, need to work on weekends because of lack of tool times. High level management yelling, screaming in meetings for anything trivial. If CVP wakes up not happy that day, someone will get yelled at in either large or small meetings for small things. THIS IS Dielectric Etch Culture at Lam. This place is a cesspool of nepotism. Even director levels are being yelled at constantly in meetings for various reasons, if he or she is not favored by the CVP. If a mediocre engineer or director who is liked by CVP, he will have much easy time cruising through with minimal effort and knowledge. ... If you are fresh PhD from top or mid tier schools, expect 80hr work weeks, and if you are not lucky, wait for 4 years to be promoted from lvl 3 to 4 level and stuck with no options to move around because you are stuck in Semiconductor equipment industry and other orgs in Lam won't take you. There are many junior engineers with excellent work ethic stuck doing the same things for half a decade without a move in their career. But if you are good at lip service, your life will be easier. Do not trust the general statement of Lam has good culture, it is very very dependent on which Org inside Lam.

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