Pros
Been here a long time and there's lots to like: - work/life balance is fantastic - great working conditions with (almost all) good people and a chill environment - job security is very high as the company has rock solid financials, private ownership that doesn't answer to shareholders, a very diversified customer base, and in 40+ years never once had a lay off - flexibility to move jobs horizontally within the company as your interests change during your career - company specializes in very interesting areas of engineering and science - compensation package, while not the best in tech, is very good and provides a comfortably middle class life despite being in one of the most expensive areas of the country The average tenure here is very long for a good reason, they treat us well!
Kontras
This is a great company for most people, but I see three reasons someone may want to avoid MathWorks: little upward mobility, heavily process-oriented, and little financial incentives to work hard. 1 - MathWorks maintains a fairly flat organizational structure (a good thing), and average tenures are long (a sign of other good things), but that combination means management positions open rarely and are heavily competitive. If your goal is to climb that corporate ladder, you can do so much faster and easier elsewhere. If you enjoy the hands-on technical work as I do, this isn't an issue. 2 - MathWorks focuses on safety-critical industries which are heavily process-oriented, and its internal culture reflects that. "Move fast and break things" doesn't fly around here. If you want the fast pace of a startup, you'll be frustrated slowing down to the MathWorks style. This has frustrated me at times, but not enough for me to leave. 3 - There's no carrot and no stick. Working hard for a great year brings little financial reward vs mediocrity, meanwhile the standards for avoiding getting fired are pretty low. If you're a self-motivated person who finds their work interesting, like me, this isn't a problem, but if you need that kind of external motivation you'll struggle to feel engaged at MathWorks.