An Awesome company, but an ageing workforce brings momentum challenges - R&D Autodesk Employee Review

4.0
Apr 29, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-One of a kind company that you can be very proud to be a part of -Personally, I liked the CEO and the SVP - very passionate people -Excellent benefits (the ESPP plan is pretty awesome that most employees made a fortune on) -The vacation policy and sabbatical are awesome, especially considering that the company observes almost 15 holidays with a December week of rest. (Some who complain about pay and benefits have no clue on what the outside world looks like) -You will experience what working in a global & diverse environment is - great learning -Up until about 2008, it was a fairly flat org with very competent senior management and great focus on making a smaller set of products as wining products (drifted since). But, there are still some really passionate and smart leaders that augur well for the future

Cons

Gradually losing focus since 2008 with at senior & middle layer that keeps rotating around frequently Ageing workforce does not seem to have the same zeal as a few years ago and the China acquisition fueled a shift to a laid back approach here Struggling to find balance between China and US, leading to lack of passionate ownership Unfair share of US employees having to attend off hour meetings In the early 2000s, leadership took courageous decisions like sun setting MDT and putting all focus on Inventor ... that seems to be lacking now with too many products and no clear roadmap Highly shifted to a Manager driven culture with only managers driving everything. Architects and leads don't seem to be involved like before. -Career progression or diversion is difficult if you are not a Manager/Exec. Only Managers/Execs are in most meetings, travelling, socializing and they make decisions that are usually favorable to them - also the reason for the frequent re-orgs

Explore other reviews about Autodesk

5.0
Jun 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good WLB Low Turnover Rates Interesting Projects/Work Full Benefits + 401k

Cons

Medium Pay, Not Amazing Stock Packages

2.0
Jun 12, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The individual contributors, your peers you work with day in and day out are fantastic people! At the IC level, for the most part, it feels like everyone is in the fight together. The work/life balance is good depending on which business unit/team you're aligned with. The benefits are pretty solid, especially the 6 week sabbatical.

Cons

Autodesk moves at the pace of a snail, very slow to take action on anything. Selling is very difficult with all the undocumented approvals, processes, red tape and very few people are willing to actually help! Leadership doesn't care about the people their decisions impact. Feedback is rarely listened to and acted upon. Pay is terrible compared to competitors in this space. Autodesk has embraced a ton of change over the last few years with new marketing, sales and IT leadership and it shows. They are not shy in showing their desire to be the next Oracle at the expense of their people. They are constantly changing tools, processes, people, roles, you name it so you feel like you're under water constantly. Lipstick on a pig.

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