Switching Jobs Only to Face Layoffs! Honest Thoughts from Someone Who Moved from TSMC in the US to Intel!

[XYang2023]

I tried my best to translate the conversation in English:

Archie:

Hello everyone, I’m Archie. Today, we will be interviewing someone who moved from TSMC in the US to Intel. Just to emphasize, because we all have agreements in this industry and will meet again in the future, some things can’t be said too clearly. However, we can still give everyone a bit of insight into the industry’s norms.

Let’s introduce today’s guest, Mr. A. After graduating from NTU, he worked at TSMC for over five years and also spent some time at TSMC in the US. Recently, he plans to move to Intel. Let’s welcome Mr. A. My first question is, you just switched to Intel and heard that Intel is planning major layoffs. Are you scared?

Mr. A:

There are concerns, definitely, but to say I’m scared would be an exaggeration. It’s because there’s usually a clause that provides some protection for new employees. Also, there are indeed more opportunities here in the US compared to Taiwan.

Archie:

Yes, actually, if you can’t stay at this company, there’s always another one, so there’s no need to be too scared. But what I really want to ask is why you wanted to switch jobs? You said you stayed at TSMC in Taiwan for a long time and never thought about switching jobs, but after coming to the US, you felt more open-minded. Is it because you think there’s a difference between Taiwan and the US?

Mr. A:

I would say, in Taiwan, maybe not everyone, but most people feel that work is quite tough, with long hours and high pressure, and there are many drawbacks. But TSMC is irreplaceable, and its salary is relatively high in the industry, making it a top choice. In Taiwan, you wouldn’t think about going abroad, but in the US, you find that there are indeed more opportunities. Even if you’re a foreigner, once you set foot here and start to understand, you’ll see that TSMC’s salary in Taiwan is much higher than other companies, but in the US, if you switch to another semiconductor company, the difference isn’t that big.

Archie:

I think that’s why many companies in the semiconductor industry like hiring fresh graduates. They are like a blank slate and can be easily influenced, not knowing what’s reasonable. So they might think being exploited or forced to work overtime is normal. After coming to the US, do you feel you were exploited in Taiwan?

Mr. A:

Many university graduates just keep working at TSMC. I feel that TSMC’s image in Taiwan is about producing the best chips at the lowest cost. The demands from higher-ups are often unrealistic. To meet these demands, they usually start by asking new employees to solve all problems immediately. This has indeed helped the company grow quickly, and everyone can quickly get the hang of things, solving problems efficiently as a team. Later, higher-ups would make more and more difficult demands, which the team would try to meet, eventually leading to demands that exceed acceptable limits.

Archie:

What’s the standard for leaving work on time?

Mr. A:

In the US, it’s the set time, but in Taiwan, it’s when you finish your tasks. If it’s 8 PM, then leaving at 8 PM is considered normal.

Archie:

8 PM is definitely overtime. I think work is different for everyone. I know many people who switched from Intel back to TSMC because they wanted to pursue technical leadership and academic achievements. They usually have a strong desire to add value to their field, so they are more willing to return to TSMC. Do you think the turnover rate at TSMC in the US is high? Because I know you switched jobs, which means you weren’t very satisfied with TSMC in the US. So I’m curious if everyone wants to leave TSMC in the US, or is it just you?

Mr. A:

I think it depends on whether the employees are from Taiwan or locally hired. Currently, local hires do have a high turnover rate because they don’t have the constraints of visas and are dissatisfied with the company’s culture. Even those willing to work hard together eventually leave due to unequal benefits. For employees from Taiwan, as I mentioned, there’s a lot of dissatisfaction with the job, but because localization is needed here, the work pressure isn’t as severe as in Taiwan. Secondly, if we separate salary from the comfort of the job, we’re really used to high-intensity, fast-paced work. I worry that in a different environment, I might not be able to work closely with others, maybe because I’m too fast or can’t integrate well. So leaving TSMC is a psychological hurdle, not just about salary. It’s about whether I can still be an international talent after leaving this company. I think many people haven’t overcome this, so when they’re really unhappy, they choose to leave the US and return to their original jobs in Taiwan. I chose to find a new opportunity here. Simply put, staying at a company for a long time gives you comfort because you understand the company’s culture and know who to approach for what. But switching to a new company means stepping out of that comfort zone.

Archie:

Thank you, Mr. A. We also have Mr. B, who worked at TSMC for seven years and also spent some time at TSMC in the US. Now, he has switched to Intel. Mr. B, I want to ask, you just came over, and Intel announced major layoffs. Are you scared?

Mr. B:

I was a bit shocked when I heard it. I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. If I get laid off, I think experiencing the culture of American companies for these eight months has been quite interesting.

Archie:

Was experiencing American company culture the reason you switched jobs? How do you feel about the difference between American and TSMC’s culture?

Mr. B:

I feel the first issue is definitely the work hours. At TSMC, there’s a set schedule, but it’s impossible to stick to it. If the end of the workday is 5:30 PM, no one leaves at 5:30 PM. I think it’s a company atmosphere issue. Many departments’ handover times are in the last hour of the workday, often leading to overtime. After that, we have tasks to complete during the handover time. The company’s culture is to give you a lot of work in the last hour before leaving, so you naturally start working overtime. Many colleagues also work overtime, so it feels strange if you don’t.

Moreover, some tasks during handover are time-sensitive. At TSMC, all work is handed over before the end of the day. Some people might find this unreasonable, but when they bring it up with their boss, they’re told it’s the company’s culture.

Archie:

So, in the eight months you’ve been at Intel, do you find the work at Intel easier?

Mr. B:

I do find it easier, mainly because of the workload. After getting familiar with the job in three months, the workload is only about 30% compared to TSMC. When I first joined the company, I wanted to learn more, so I asked my boss to give me an additional two or three tasks to get more exposure to different areas. Actually, I didn’t just move from TSMC to Intel; I also changed the type of work I was doing. I think switching fields is beneficial for my future career, which is one of the reasons I moved to Intel.

I told my boss at the time, “Can you let me use more than just 30% of my capacity? Can you let me use 60% or 70%?” He said, “We don’t want our employees to work that much. Just maintain your current tasks.” I guess it might be because our organization is new, so there might not be that much work. I think that’s probably the case.

Archie:

I have to say, it really depends on the organization. From the audience comments, I can see that many people mistakenly think Intel employees don’t work overtime and get plenty of sleep. Our department is not like that at all. Many people here voluntarily work overtime. I think it’s the same in many American companies, including Google and Facebook. These companies don’t force you to work overtime because they believe it’s inhumane. But you end up working overtime voluntarily because some people are very career-driven. If you want to perform well in your career, you naturally end up working long hours.

So, we have some colleagues who are always replying to emails, and you wonder when they sleep because they reply late at night and early in the morning. During work hours, they’re always available. We have many colleagues like that. I think the US really implements a responsibility system. We don’t clock in and out, so it all depends on how much you’re willing to put into your work. It really depends on the person. But after you started working, has your work-life balance improved? Has your family relationship become more harmonious because of it? I’d like to ask your wife about that.

Mr. B’s Wife:

I know many other wives, and we often talk about when our husbands get off work. He really is the kind of engineer who tries to leave work early.

After he joined Intel, I see him all the time, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. At TSMC, I only saw him in the evenings.

Mr. B’s Wife:

We also have more time in the evenings to have dinner with friends who live nearby. During the six years we were in Taiwan, we rarely had dinner at home.

 

[XYang2023]

After going through this translation exercise, I think:
1. TSMC employees do not like its culture.
2. When Intel hires TSMC employees, it should try to learn from TSMC and not the other way round.
3. Intel should promote the culture of meritocracy
4. Intel should follow Amazon and ask people to come back to office when possible (accountability).
5. Intel should try harder to use automation and AI to minimise human effects (reduce costs).

 

[jim_22222]

After going through this translation exercise, I think:
1. TSMC employees do not like its culture.
2. When Intel hires TSMC employees, it should try to learn from TSMC and not the other way round.
3. Intel should promote the culture of meritocracy
4. Intel should follow Amazon and ask people to come back to office when possible (accountability).
5. Intel should try harder to use automation and AI to minimise human effects (reduce costs).

many of those will get some feeling ofa glass ceiling within two or three years.
ask them again by then.

 

[nghanayem]

I wonder if TSMC employees a corps of compressed work week module engineers in addition to the normal tool owners and 855 module engineers? My experience is that having dedicated night and day shift engineers is a 10x improvement in work-life balance. I think there are some costs in that 855 module engineers can start to drift and become more disconnected from their tools. But hard to say how much of this is COVID and WFH causing that degradation rather than division of labor causing people to become less well rounded. There is also the question of how do you source the talent for these different engineering roles and what do the advancement paths look like. Intel and GF hire straight into the CWW engineer role. Samsung Austin engineers get chucked into a rotation for working the night shift for a quarter (with no day shift). My understanding of Micron USA is they seem to stick you on sustaining for the first 2-4 years until you "graduate" to a development engineer. Some firms seem like handle CWW engineers better than other, but I don't have enough data points to make any definitive claims about who's way is "best". I lean towards Samsung's way as the best at making sure people are brushing up on their sustaining skills and tool knowledge, but is also the worst for work-life balance. The Intel, Micron, and GF systems seem similar for work-life balance. But Micron seems to offer the best career path so people don't get forced to make a lateral move to 855 module engineer just to move forward in their career. I suspect that "graduates" of the Micron system might also on average have stronger tool fundamentals than the average dedicated 855 module and development engineers of the intel or GF systems.

 

[hist78]

I’m not trying to diminish this YouTube channel host’s credibility, but she didn’t clearly disclose or remind the audience that she is an Intel employee. She only mentioned it indirectly by referring to her experiences working at Intel.

 

[Daniel Nenni]

I tried my best to translate the conversation in English:

Archie:

Hello everyone, I’m Archie. Today, we will be interviewing someone who moved from TSMC in the US to Intel. Just to emphasize, because we all have agreements in this industry and will meet again in the future, some things can’t be said too clearly. However, we can still give everyone a bit of insight into the industry’s norms.

Let’s introduce today’s guest, Mr. A. After graduating from NTU, he worked at TSMC for over five years and also spent some time at TSMC in the US. Recently, he plans to move to Intel. Let’s welcome Mr. A. My first question is, you just switched to Intel and heard that Intel is planning major layoffs. Are you scared?

Mr. A:

There are concerns, definitely, but to say I’m scared would be an exaggeration. It’s because there’s usually a clause that provides some protection for new employees. Also, there are indeed more opportunities here in the US compared to Taiwan.

Archie:

Yes, actually, if you can’t stay at this company, there’s always another one, so there’s no need to be too scared. But what I really want to ask is why you wanted to switch jobs? You said you stayed at TSMC in Taiwan for a long time and never thought about switching jobs, but after coming to the US, you felt more open-minded. Is it because you think there’s a difference between Taiwan and the US?

Mr. A:

I would say, in Taiwan, maybe not everyone, but most people feel that work is quite tough, with long hours and high pressure, and there are many drawbacks. But TSMC is irreplaceable, and its salary is relatively high in the industry, making it a top choice. In Taiwan, you wouldn’t think about going abroad, but in the US, you find that there are indeed more opportunities. Even if you’re a foreigner, once you set foot here and start to understand, you’ll see that TSMC’s salary in Taiwan is much higher than other companies, but in the US, if you switch to another semiconductor company, the difference isn’t that big.

Archie:

I think that’s why many companies in the semiconductor industry like hiring fresh graduates. They are like a blank slate and can be easily influenced, not knowing what’s reasonable. So they might think being exploited or forced to work overtime is normal. After coming to the US, do you feel you were exploited in Taiwan?

Mr. A:

Many university graduates just keep working at TSMC. I feel that TSMC’s image in Taiwan is about producing the best chips at the lowest cost. The demands from higher-ups are often unrealistic. To meet these demands, they usually start by asking new employees to solve all problems immediately. This has indeed helped the company grow quickly, and everyone can quickly get the hang of things, solving problems efficiently as a team. Later, higher-ups would make more and more difficult demands, which the team would try to meet, eventually leading to demands that exceed acceptable limits.

Archie:

What’s the standard for leaving work on time?

Mr. A:

In the US, it’s the set time, but in Taiwan, it’s when you finish your tasks. If it’s 8 PM, then leaving at 8 PM is considered normal.

Archie:

8 PM is definitely overtime. I think work is different for everyone. I know many people who switched from Intel back to TSMC because they wanted to pursue technical leadership and academic achievements. They usually have a strong desire to add value to their field, so they are more willing to return to TSMC. Do you think the turnover rate at TSMC in the US is high? Because I know you switched jobs, which means you weren’t very satisfied with TSMC in the US. So I’m curious if everyone wants to leave TSMC in the US, or is it just you?

Mr. A:

I think it depends on whether the employees are from Taiwan or locally hired. Currently, local hires do have a high turnover rate because they don’t have the constraints of visas and are dissatisfied with the company’s culture. Even those willing to work hard together eventually leave due to unequal benefits. For employees from Taiwan, as I mentioned, there’s a lot of dissatisfaction with the job, but because localization is needed here, the work pressure isn’t as severe as in Taiwan. Secondly, if we separate salary from the comfort of the job, we’re really used to high-intensity, fast-paced work. I worry that in a different environment, I might not be able to work closely with others, maybe because I’m too fast or can’t integrate well. So leaving TSMC is a psychological hurdle, not just about salary. It’s about whether I can still be an international talent after leaving this company. I think many people haven’t overcome this, so when they’re really unhappy, they choose to leave the US and return to their original jobs in Taiwan. I chose to find a new opportunity here. Simply put, staying at a company for a long time gives you comfort because you understand the company’s culture and know who to approach for what. But switching to a new company means stepping out of that comfort zone.

Archie:

Thank you, Mr. A. We also have Mr. B, who worked at TSMC for seven years and also spent some time at TSMC in the US. Now, he has switched to Intel. Mr. B, I want to ask, you just came over, and Intel announced major layoffs. Are you scared?

Mr. B:

I was a bit shocked when I heard it. I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. If I get laid off, I think experiencing the culture of American companies for these eight months has been quite interesting.

Archie:

Was experiencing American company culture the reason you switched jobs? How do you feel about the difference between American and TSMC’s culture?

Mr. B:

I feel the first issue is definitely the work hours. At TSMC, there’s a set schedule, but it’s impossible to stick to it. If the end of the workday is 5:30 PM, no one leaves at 5:30 PM. I think it’s a company atmosphere issue. Many departments’ handover times are in the last hour of the workday, often leading to overtime. After that, we have tasks to complete during the handover time. The company’s culture is to give you a lot of work in the last hour before leaving, so you naturally start working overtime. Many colleagues also work overtime, so it feels strange if you don’t.

Moreover, some tasks during handover are time-sensitive. At TSMC, all work is handed over before the end of the day. Some people might find this unreasonable, but when they bring it up with their boss, they’re told it’s the company’s culture.

Archie:

So, in the eight months you’ve been at Intel, do you find the work at Intel easier?

Mr. B:

I do find it easier, mainly because of the workload. After getting familiar with the job in three months, the workload is only about 30% compared to TSMC. When I first joined the company, I wanted to learn more, so I asked my boss to give me an additional two or three tasks to get more exposure to different areas. Actually, I didn’t just move from TSMC to Intel; I also changed the type of work I was doing. I think switching fields is beneficial for my future career, which is one of the reasons I moved to Intel.

I told my boss at the time, “Can you let me use more than just 30% of my capacity? Can you let me use 60% or 70%?” He said, “We don’t want our employees to work that much. Just maintain your current tasks.” I guess it might be because our organization is new, so there might not be that much work. I think that’s probably the case.

Archie:

I have to say, it really depends on the organization. From the audience comments, I can see that many people mistakenly think Intel employees don’t work overtime and get plenty of sleep. Our department is not like that at all. Many people here voluntarily work overtime. I think it’s the same in many American companies, including Google and Facebook. These companies don’t force you to work overtime because they believe it’s inhumane. But you end up working overtime voluntarily because some people are very career-driven. If you want to perform well in your career, you naturally end up working long hours.

So, we have some colleagues who are always replying to emails, and you wonder when they sleep because they reply late at night and early in the morning. During work hours, they’re always available. We have many colleagues like that. I think the US really implements a responsibility system. We don’t clock in and out, so it all depends on how much you’re willing to put into your work. It really depends on the person. But after you started working, has your work-life balance improved? Has your family relationship become more harmonious because of it? I’d like to ask your wife about that.

Mr. B’s Wife:

I know many other wives, and we often talk about when our husbands get off work. He really is the kind of engineer who tries to leave work early.

After he joined Intel, I see him all the time, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. At TSMC, I only saw him in the evenings.

Mr. B’s Wife:

We also have more time in the evenings to have dinner with friends who live nearby. During the six years we were in Taiwan, we rarely had dinner at home.

TSMC Taiwan employees get bonuses based on the companies performance. It is a big deal. Why no mention of bonuses? The other thing to mention about working in Hsinchu is that TSMC employees are highly regarded socially.

The fabs in Taiwan are like little cities with many amenities inside, pretty much everything you need: Food, Laundry, Medical, stores, gyms, coffee houses, etc.... So being at work is not 100% work.

A close friend of mine works at the largest bank in the US and I get to hear the complaints over drinks. It really sounds horrific. Back stabbing, politics, corporate nonsense, pay freezes, lots of cuts, etc... It was recently employee appreciation week. He was given gifts to hand out to his direct reports. Completely worthless stuff with corporate branding (pen, stress ball, mug, etc...), it was insulting. He did get a donut so that was good. When they take over another bank they get to hear how great the other bank was to work for but then they got taken over so that says a lot.

Intel is changing as well. Lots of cuts and the stock is in the toilet. Hopefully they are re pricing options for all of those recent hires?

I worked for a large company right out of college then did start-ups for the rest of my career and I am still doing them. I admire both Intel and TSMC but the corporate life is just not for me.


"Mr. B’s Wife:
I know many other wives, and we often talk about when our husbands get off work. He really is the kind of engineer who tries to leave work early.
After he joined Intel, I see him all the time, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. At TSMC, I only saw him in the evenings."

That marriage is not going to last!!!!

 

[BruceA]

As Daniel mentioned TSCM Assignee / Taiwan employees their compensation and expectations are different than the US in Fab21

Taiwan employees in Fab21 like all the employees in Taiwan have a very large percentage of their pay in variable. Like many companies they practice a meritocracy where the top “x” percentage get a very large additional over base, call it more than double digit. Then there is another large portion call it more than 1 sigma get a bonus that is large double digit. Those on the bottom portion of their system actual get what would look like a pay cut if they were in the median the year before. Combined with the fact those in the larger portion of the distribution are paid far better than any other company in Taiwan make it very motivating. They suck it up to work hard for both money, pride and achievement.

TSMC Local hire, call them the American’s are on a very different compensation where working so hard doesn’t nearly provide the same differential compensation nor motivation beside achievement to work as hard as the Taiwan assignees. Not to even discuss how work is assigned and what the expectations and priority works here. Most of the Americans salary is in base pay and a smaller annual raises based on performance but nothing as lucrative differential if you work hard or perceived to work hard. They have tried with a so called retention bonus to incentivize the Americans and make those that are ranked high get a very large part of the retention bonus and punish those that are on the lower half with much lower incentive bonus. The reality is the retention bonus applied only to does that were in Taiwan and not any hard working new hires that didn’t go to Taiwan another clear example of the HR and management strange logic. That retention bonus actually has been a mixed bag as it is should be now called an incentive bonus for only those that went to Taiwan but not any recent hires. It is being applied as best as they can as a work hard bonus.

As described in the video interveiw late work is assigned very late in the day. One’s commitment and ability to close these before they go home determine their ranking and compensation. It sounds be called overtime as overtime is a must to survive and be rated passing. Given the huge reward and punitive nature of being on either end of the bell curve makes for a very lucrative reason to work really hard and stay way after dinner hours. That means EVERYONE stays late after dinner. It helps in Taiwan the cafeteria between Starbucks, 7-11 and so many in house dining choices that one can eat for less than two to three US dollars. Sadly none of that benefit is available nor motivating for the US workforce here. They preceive working from home or leaving early to have dinner with family and working at home as something that should be accepted but among the Taiwanese bosses simply isn’t the accepted way or reputation building to your boss or bosses boss.

This bifurcated compensation makes for bifurcation of work load as well and a huge moral killer. Taiwanese get assigned all the work and they have little choice but accept it or have huge pay implications. The US hires less incentive and don’t appreciate or don’t accept the culture of work at work and must finish at work and can’t go home to have dinner with family, go take your kid to soccer, run an errand or work from home as I have a house repair. That simply not accepted by the TSMC management. Of course Intel with liberal WFH and hybrid for so many people make this the SOP. Why wouldn’t anyone leave TSMC to go to Intel as long as they don’t get caught in the current Layoff?

I am sure the Taiwanese employees all want the better life benefits of seeing your kids grow up, attending their after school activities and just having a meal with your wife and family. In Taiwan simply not possible with the culture and pay for work culture at TSMC. In the US that is a possible path if they leave the company, but all are trapped based on their E visa, or I am sure they are very high desirable employees for Intel Chandler, Micron, GF.



Most TSMC Taiwan employees that aspire to promotion and management or senior management the necessary sacrifice for the money and good life, forget meals with family M-F and work many weekends, nights and be onsite and seen by your boss who likes to brag about how he is proud of those that are there till 1am in the fab.

 

[osnium]

As Daniel mentioned TSCM Assignee / Taiwan employees their compensation and expectations are different than the US in Fab21

Taiwan employees in Fab21 like all the employees in Taiwan have a very large percentage of their pay in variable. Like many companies they practice a meritocracy where the top “x” percentage get a very large additional over base, call it more than double digit. Then there is another large portion call it more than 1 sigma get a bonus that is large double digit. Those on the bottom portion of their system actual get what would look like a pay cut if they were in the median the year before. Combined with the fact those in the larger portion of the distribution are paid far better than any other company in Taiwan make it very motivating. They suck it up to work hard for both money, pride and achievement.

TSMC Local hire, call them the American’s are on a very different compensation where working so hard doesn’t nearly provide the same differential compensation nor motivation beside achievement to work as hard as the Taiwan assignees. Not to even discuss how work is assigned and what the expectations and priority works here. Most of the Americans salary is in base pay and a smaller annual raises based on performance but nothing as lucrative differential if you work hard or perceived to work hard. They have tried with a so called retention bonus to incentivize the Americans and make those that are ranked high get a very large part of the retention bonus and punish those that are on the lower half with much lower incentive bonus. The reality is the retention bonus applied only to does that were in Taiwan and not any hard working new hires that didn’t go to Taiwan another clear example of the HR and management strange logic. That retention bonus actually has been a mixed bag as it is should be now called an incentive bonus for only those that went to Taiwan but not any recent hires. It is being applied as best as they can as a work hard bonus.

As described in the video interveiw late work is assigned very late in the day. One’s commitment and ability to close these before they go home determine their ranking and compensation. It sounds be called overtime as overtime is a must to survive and be rated passing. Given the huge reward and punitive nature of being on either end of the bell curve makes for a very lucrative reason to work really hard and stay way after dinner hours. That means EVERYONE stays late after dinner. It helps in Taiwan the cafeteria between Starbucks, 7-11 and so many in house dining choices that one can eat for less than two to three US dollars. Sadly none of that benefit is available nor motivating for the US workforce here. They preceive working from home or leaving early to have dinner with family and working at home as something that should be accepted but among the Taiwanese bosses simply isn’t the accepted way or reputation building to your boss or bosses boss.

This bifurcated compensation makes for bifurcation of work load as well and a huge moral killer. Taiwanese get assigned all the work and they have little choice but accept it or have huge pay implications. The US hires less incentive and don’t appreciate or don’t accept the culture of work at work and must finish at work and can’t go home to have dinner with family, go take your kid to soccer, run an errand or work from home as I have a house repair. That simply not accepted by the TSMC management. Of course Intel with liberal WFH and hybrid for so many people make this the SOP. Why wouldn’t anyone leave TSMC to go to Intel as long as they don’t get caught in the current Layoff?

I am sure the Taiwanese employees all want the better life benefits of seeing your kids grow up, attending their after school activities and just having a meal with your wife and family. In Taiwan simply not possible with the culture and pay for work culture at TSMC. In the US that is a possible path if they leave the company, but all are trapped based on their E visa, or I am sure they are very high desirable employees for Intel Chandler, Micron, GF.



Most TSMC Taiwan employees that aspire to promotion and management or senior management the necessary sacrifice for the money and good life, forget meals with family M-F and work many weekends, nights and be onsite and seen by your boss who likes to brag about how he is proud of those that are there till 1am in the fab.

Could TSMC managers do a better job of assigning work earlier in the day?

 

[jim_22222]

Could TSMC managers do a better job of assigning work earlier in the day? these

if this is true, these are just abusive managers who want to abuse the engineers. you can either refuse to serve those late assignment or just get used to it. depend on your level of political skills.

 

[XYang2023]

if this is true, these are just abusive managers who want to abuse the engineers. you can either refuse to serve those late assignment or just get used to it. depend on your level of political skills.

It is called "overtime culture":

台灣職場加班文化盛行 逾六成上班族憂過勞、想離職 | 聯合新聞網

台灣工時全球名列前茅，更有「過勞之島」之稱，根據yes123求職網調查顯示，上班族衡量每天實際投入工作的時間，平均達9....

udn.com

You can translate the article using Google translate:

https://translate.google.com.au/?sl=auto&tl=en&op=websites

 

[jim_22222]

It is called "overtime culture":

台灣職場加班文化盛行 逾六成上班族憂過勞、想離職 | 聯合新聞網

台灣工時全球名列前茅，更有「過勞之島」之稱，根據yes123求職網調查顯示，上班族衡量每天實際投入工作的時間，平均達9....

udn.com

You can translate the article using Google translate:

https://translate.google.com.au/?sl=auto&tl=en&op=websites

if the top management don't support this kind of behavior, engineers can easily win with a internal appeal. if the country they live in have decent legal system they can go to court and get compensated.

 

[Artificer60]

After going through this translation exercise, I think:
1. TSMC employees do not like its culture.
2. When Intel hires TSMC employees, it should try to learn from TSMC and not the other way round.
3. Intel should promote the culture of meritocracy
4. Intel should follow Amazon and ask people to come back to office when possible (accountability).
5. Intel should try harder to use automation and AI to minimise human effects (reduce costs).

First, thank for going to the trouble of translating this.

Regarding #2 I agree to a point. The employee does need to learn the expectations of their job role when joining a new company. While they almost certainly have valuable skills, they do need to learn how data needs to be presented and in my experience every company is different in that regard. That said, I don't think anyone would argue that Intel has a lot to learn about running a successful foundry and these employees seem like they would be a valuable resource in that regard

Regarding #3 I think Intel believes they do promote a culture of meritocracy. My issue with meritocracy is that I have yet to see any system that doesn't devolve into some sort of system of favoritism. I've had coworkers leave because they felt they were denied opportunities that were given to those that had the bosses favor. I have no good ideas how to solve this problem.

Regarding #4 I am not convinced. I've seen a lot of rhetoric around the return to the office theme, but have yet to see any data that proves that WFH is any less productive. For the record I personally prefer to work from the office as it gives me a clear separation between work and home life.

Regarding #5 I believe you are correct. It is my opinion that Intel could automate many of the tasks that are currently performed by people and get superior results.

 

[XYang2023]

First, thank for going to the trouble of translating this.

Regarding #2 I agree to a point. The employee does need to learn the expectations of their job role when joining a new company. While they almost certainly have valuable skills, they do need to learn how data needs to be presented and in my experience every company is different in that regard. That said, I don't think anyone would argue that Intel has a lot to learn about running a successful foundry and these employees seem like they would be a valuable resource in that regard

Regarding #3 I think Intel believes they do promote a culture of meritocracy. My issue with meritocracy is that I have yet to see any system that doesn't devolve into some sort of system of favoritism. I've had coworkers leave because they felt they were denied opportunities that were given to those that had the bosses favor. I have no good ideas how to solve this problem.

Regarding #4 I am not convinced. I've seen a lot of rhetoric around the return to the office theme, but have yet to see any data that proves that WFH is any less productive. For the record I personally prefer to work from the office as it gives me a clear separation between work and home life.

Regarding #5 I believe you are correct. It is my opinion that Intel could automate many of the tasks that are currently performed by people and get superior results.

I agree with you that the effect of WFH might vary from one company to another. If a company consists of a group of high-performance people working towards a common goal, WFH might be alright. But given the current state of Intel, I think going back to the office makes sense. Based on the conversation above, it seems that a lot of people decide to join Intel due to the preconception of an easy life at Intel. If Intel wants to compete with TSMC, it needs to get rid of those reputations. I blame this on PG. He should have addressed those issues when he first re-joined the company.

COVID played a part on the WFH trend. But they should return to norm asap.

 

[VCT]

Many people and media, especially lower-level employees, believe that TSMC’s success over Intel is due to hard work. While hard work is one of the factors, it’s not the main reason. UMC employees work hard as well, but you don’t see UMC outperforming TSMC.

 

[XYang2023]

Many people and media, especially lower-level employees, believe that TSMC’s success over Intel is due to hard work. While hard work is one of the factors, it’s not the main reason. UMC employees work hard as well, but you don’t see UMC outperforming TSMC.

It is also a monopoly.

 

[jim_22222]

Many people and media, especially lower-level employees, believe that TSMC’s success over Intel is due to hard work. While hard work is one of the factors, it’s not the main reason. UMC employees work hard as well, but you don’t see UMC outperforming TSMC.

higher standard of integrity, more inclusive.
many top executive talents who can't get promoted in US get appropriate positions and assignment at tsmc.

 

[BruceA]

UMC absolutely do not work as hard nor are paid as much.

I don’t buy the integrity. There are and still many engineers, managers and up to VPs that have a value and morality that is among the worst I have seen.

TSMC like Nvidia and Intel once has both a culture and at the time a strategy and execution that was perfect for the opportunity that presented itself.

As to success decades ago Intel and their CE and process cadence with Tick-Tock worked. Today TSMC highly directive and high output from high pressure and customer oriented and delivery to customer and at any and all cost to the employees is hard to beat even if you try and match that at say Intel or Samsung or SMIC. You can copy the stategy but without scale, fanatical top to bottom leadership driving all the technical details with knowledge and beating the employees to deliver I would say Intel has little chance.

The major reason for Intels failure at IFS if it happens will be 1) Leadership lack of technical knowledge that drives employees to get to the right decisions and outcomes 2) driving their employees output and deliver customer focus 2) employee work output and pace.

I agree that though Intel talent is superior to TSMC and Samsung but it is uncontrolled and perhaps not right culture nor enough output

 

[jim_22222]

UMC absolutely do not work as hard nor are paid as much.

I don’t buy the integrity. There are and still many engineers, managers and up to VPs that have a value and morality that is among the worst I have seen.

oh well, thats what chang told people in interviews.
he hired mark liu and a few other executives from US, and the result shows he is correct.
if someone has a bigger problem who you think should be.

those US companies were simply dumb for didn't realize their potential or they just don't want to see them getting promoted even with knowledge of their capabilities.

TSMC like Nvidia and Intel once has both a culture and at the time a strategy and execution that was perfect for the opportunity that presented itself.

As to success decades ago Intel and their CE and process cadence with Tick-Tock worked. Today TSMC highly directive and high output from high pressure and customer oriented and delivery to customer and at any and all cost to the employees is hard to beat even if you try and match that at say Intel or Samsung or SMIC. You can copy the stategy but without scale, fanatical top to bottom leadership driving all the technical details with knowledge and beating the employees to deliver I would say Intel has little chance.

The major reason for Intels failure at IFS if it happens will be 1) Leadership lack of technical knowledge that drives employees to get to the right decisions and outcomes 2) driving their employees output and deliver customer focus 2) employee work output and pace.

I agree that though Intel talent is superior to TSMC and Samsung but it is uncontrolled and perhaps not right culture nor enough output

 

[jorgequinonez]

It is called "overtime culture":

台灣職場加班文化盛行 逾六成上班族憂過勞、想離職 | 聯合新聞網

台灣工時全球名列前茅，更有「過勞之島」之稱，根據yes123求職網調查顯示，上班族衡量每天實際投入工作的時間，平均達9....

udn.com

You can translate the article using Google translate:

https://translate.google.com.au/?sl=auto&tl=en&op=websites

I've found ChatGPT or Claude sometimes provide better translations for some text. Try that.

 

[osnium]

It is also a monopoly.

It’s an earned pseudo-monopoly that they gained through hard work, excellent talent and superb execution.