Weak Culture, Weak Leaders, Bad for Women - Anonymous employee Autodesk Employee Review

2.0
Aug 23, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Autodesk has a few great, market leading products. Some projects are interesting. Family friendly and good work-life balance even though some people abuse it.

Cons

Most senior leaders have been there forever. Many are weak. Failed to scale as company grew up but refuse to leave or step aside. Middle management is full of politicians who get ahead by kissing up. It is a difficult culture for anyone to grow in, but especially for women leaders. HR is useless and only exists to protect the executives. That's what happened in IT, where the head of the division protected all his male buddies while seeing woman after woman punished, demoted or put on a plan out. It's ok though, we all moved on and Autodesk has the IT group it deserves now.

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Autodesk Response
10y
Thanks for the note, I appreciate the feedback. Diversity is certainly in the zeitgeist in the Bay and beyond -- the company is committed to improving our diversity mix and is in the process of hiring a director of diversity. Affinity groups like AWIL (Women in Leadership) and Autodesk Pride are gaining cache and attention of the C Suite. Great changes are in the wind. I'd love to hear more about your particular experience if you'd be willing to connect offline. -andrew.levy@autodesk.com

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Pros

Autodesk has, hands down, one of the warmest and most supportive corporate cultures I’ve ever experienced. From day one, people were welcoming, respectful, kind, and genuinely available to help. Even as a contract worker, I never felt like an outsider. I felt included, trusted, and treated like part of the team. The marketing team was an incredible group: collaborative, smart, generous with their time, and always willing to answer questions. Autodesk also has a true teaching culture. You never feel silly for asking questions, and there is a clear willingness across teams to help people learn, improve, and succeed. Operationally, the company was also impressively efficient. The technology, meeting tools, scheduling systems, and general workflows made it easy to connect with people, set appointments, collaborate, and keep work moving without unnecessary friction. Overall, Autodesk set the bar for what a healthy corporate culture can feel like: organized, human, respectful, inclusive, and genuinely collaborative. Pros: Warm culture, helpful people, strong tools and technology, respectful teams, inclusive environment, great marketing organization.

Cons

As a contractor, I only wish the experience had been longer.

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