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Ah yes, ASML. I have a number of friends and ex-colleagues who work there. Unsurprisingly, due to their importance, ASML are extremely well-known inside of the

Ah yes, ASML. I have a number of friends and ex-colleagues who work there. Unsurprisingly, due to their importance, ASML are extremely well-known inside of the Netherlands. It's one of those companies that spun out of Philips Electronics and became very successful (NXP is another good example). A lot of research and development is still going on in the area where Philips had their research labs. If you're curious to see what kind of high-tech is being worked on in the "Dutch silicon valley" I suggest you Google "Brainport Eindhoven" or "High Tech Campus Eindhoven".

as1mov 5y ago
Kinda off-topic but what's it like working at ASML? They are hiring for a lot of software roles at the moment. I've been mulling about applying there but from the outside it looks very bureaucratic (at least that's what the Glassdoor reviews seem to indicate).
- br4m 5y ago
  As someone who currently works there it is indeed bureaucratic. But I also feel like it is an environment that focuses less on cost/money and optimizes for the highest quality. I.e., there is room to explore the best way of doing something and there is less pressure to do it ASAP or for the lowest price.
  - as1mov 5y ago
    Ah fair enough, thanks for the insight. I've worked in a heavily regulated domain for the past few years and just wanted a change to something different. Perhaps I'll still give it a shot if nothing else turns up.
  - megablast 5y ago
    So, just like any rich company really.
    - nzmsv 5y ago
      No, companies can be rich and still have a culture of cutting corners and rushing stuff to market.
      - mszyndel 5y ago
        Ekhm, Boeing, ekhm
- whazor 5y ago
  It really is. The machines are highly sophisticated and downtime is very costly. Code bases are heavily documented and have a bureaucratic process to protect them. ASML does have less crucial software projects that have a more normal process.
  - burntoutfire 5y ago
    Some of the jobs look pretty cool, can you share what is the salary range to be expected? The website is silent about that, which in Europe almost always means underwhelming numbers.
    - whazor 5y ago
      I have heard they pay in the higher end of Dutch companies, which is still underwhelming especially compared to FAANG.
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
      - mark_mart 5y ago
        Yes they pay pretty well. 13 salary, instead 12.(travel bonus)
    - Dma54rhs 5y ago
      They pay much better in USA where they also hire. SE salaries are obviously a lot smaller in Europe, thinking about FAAMG numbers is fairytales :)
      - saddlerustle 5y ago
        Optiver hires in Amsterdam with comparable compensation to top US companies.
        sabas123 5y ago
- teekert 5y ago
  I applied there, they asked me what I would do if there was too much work for the week. Of course I answered I would just work nights, np. No, they said: Go to your team lead tell her/him you can do one thing and discuss what to choose. They don’t want people getting burned out, they are too important. I liked that.
  - brailsafe 5y ago
    > Of course I answered I would just work nights Was this intended as a joke or would you really work nights just because there was too much work?
    - mypalmike 5y ago
      In most interview situations, the interviewer is looking for someone who will "go the distance" to deliver no matter what, i.e. someone who will work nights
      - sirsinsalot 5y ago
        If that's your interviewer or what the company wants then walk out. They've done you a favour flagging their toxicity.
      - pelorat 5y ago
        Not in Europe because that would most likely be illegal.
      - sumedh 5y ago
        You can use this question to show your strength, you can say if its a one off situation you will go the distance but if its happening regularly then you will try to raise questions like why are projects always going into crunch mode, are we not estimating the tasks properly etc. This shows that you are a team player but also willing to push back.
        teekert 5y ago
- matmatmatmat 5y ago
  I have a group of friends who all worked there (San Diego office, formerly Cymer), half of whom have quit. They complained of massive inefficiency (very bureaucratic, lots of meetings), relatively low pay, difficulty moving around, feeling overworked but still shipping buggy software, and some difficult colleagues. I also happen to know a project manager there who had a bit of a rocky time getting started (overworked), but I think is now happy there. To be honest, my friends have put me off from working there, but who knows, it could just be a biased impression and maybe the company is working to turn things around.
N1H1L 5y ago
My major background is in electron microscopy. Eindhoven is also a massively important microscopy center. This is because Philips used to build great TEMs once upon a time, which was spun out as Philips Electron Optics in the mid 90s. That company merged with FEI of Portland, OR to become one of the largest electron microscope company. FEI a few years back was bought out ThermoFisher to become a group company. They still command a huge portion of the electron microscopy market.
mongol 5y ago
What happened with Philips? As a consumer brand I think they have languished. I liked them a lot in the 80s-90s, now I avoid them.
- apexalpha 5y ago
  They used to be what Samsung or LG is today, but couldn't keep up after the 90s. They invented the CD and DVD but after that went into decline. They have a consumer side that still does lightning (Philips Hue is pretty big) but mostly focus on healthcare such as MRIs and Ventilators.
  - poorna13 5y ago
    Lighting has also been spun off into a separate company (https://www.signify.com/global https://www.signify.com/global) which has a license to produce Philips branded products - similar to the TPVision - Philips TV arrangement. Philips itself is fully focused on healthcare these days (and some consumer adjacencies like Toothbrushes and Baby care stuff).
- royjacobs 5y ago
  They are focusing on healthcare and personal care products and are doing pretty well there. Their MRI scanners are well regarded, for instance. Other electronics like televisions are still produced under the Philips name, but that's just TP-Vision making them in China and slapping the Philips name on it.
- rasz 5y ago
  Philips history in 6 chapters, written up by RF engineer with 30 years at Philips/NXP https://www.maximus-randd.com/technology-history.html https://www.maximus-randd.com/technology-history.html TLDR Commodore level management. It ends with picking inferior but marginally cheaper third party components for TVs instead of using own internal products developed specifically for the role, in effect sinking R&D budget and destroying market leader position. WSP (World Standard Pinning) "standardization" story with management naive dreams of selling own products in Asia without cannibalizing home European market while simultaneously moving Consumer Hardware Development to Asia .. where all the hardware was thereafter designed with Asian parts first was priceless. Philips TV division deciding to second source, skipping Philips Tuners division thus eroding own company market share and profit. Then in turn Philips Tuners division commissioning a cheaper clone of Philips MOPLL from Siemens with a huge minimal volume quota, consequently eroding Philips Semiconductors market share by 25% and forcing Tuner division to manufacture inferior products with already obsolete part. Just beautiful, <Chef's Kiss>, Pure genius! > The most devastating development, however, was purely internal and of severe structural impact.

as1mov 5y ago

Kinda off-topic but what's it like working at ASML? They are hiring for a lot of software roles at the moment. I've been mulling about applying there but from the outside it looks very bureaucratic (at least that's what the Glassdoor reviews seem to indicate).

br4m 5y ago
As someone who currently works there it is indeed bureaucratic. But I also feel like it is an environment that focuses less on cost/money and optimizes for the highest quality. I.e., there is room to explore the best way of doing something and there is less pressure to do it ASAP or for the lowest price.
- as1mov 5y ago
  Ah fair enough, thanks for the insight. I've worked in a heavily regulated domain for the past few years and just wanted a change to something different. Perhaps I'll still give it a shot if nothing else turns up.
- megablast 5y ago
  So, just like any rich company really.
  - nzmsv 5y ago
    No, companies can be rich and still have a culture of cutting corners and rushing stuff to market.
    - mszyndel 5y ago
      Ekhm, Boeing, ekhm
whazor 5y ago
It really is. The machines are highly sophisticated and downtime is very costly. Code bases are heavily documented and have a bureaucratic process to protect them. ASML does have less crucial software projects that have a more normal process.
- burntoutfire 5y ago
  Some of the jobs look pretty cool, can you share what is the salary range to be expected? The website is silent about that, which in Europe almost always means underwhelming numbers.
  - whazor 5y ago
    I have heard they pay in the higher end of Dutch companies, which is still underwhelming especially compared to FAANG.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - mark_mart 5y ago
      Yes they pay pretty well. 13 salary, instead 12.(travel bonus)
  - Dma54rhs 5y ago
    They pay much better in USA where they also hire. SE salaries are obviously a lot smaller in Europe, thinking about FAAMG numbers is fairytales :)
    - saddlerustle 5y ago
      Optiver hires in Amsterdam with comparable compensation to top US companies.
      - sabas123 5y ago
teekert 5y ago
I applied there, they asked me what I would do if there was too much work for the week. Of course I answered I would just work nights, np. No, they said: Go to your team lead tell her/him you can do one thing and discuss what to choose. They don’t want people getting burned out, they are too important. I liked that.
- brailsafe 5y ago
  > Of course I answered I would just work nights Was this intended as a joke or would you really work nights just because there was too much work?
  - mypalmike 5y ago
    In most interview situations, the interviewer is looking for someone who will "go the distance" to deliver no matter what, i.e. someone who will work nights
    - sirsinsalot 5y ago
      If that's your interviewer or what the company wants then walk out. They've done you a favour flagging their toxicity.
    - pelorat 5y ago
      Not in Europe because that would most likely be illegal.
    - sumedh 5y ago
      You can use this question to show your strength, you can say if its a one off situation you will go the distance but if its happening regularly then you will try to raise questions like why are projects always going into crunch mode, are we not estimating the tasks properly etc. This shows that you are a team player but also willing to push back.
      - teekert 5y ago
matmatmatmat 5y ago
I have a group of friends who all worked there (San Diego office, formerly Cymer), half of whom have quit. They complained of massive inefficiency (very bureaucratic, lots of meetings), relatively low pay, difficulty moving around, feeling overworked but still shipping buggy software, and some difficult colleagues. I also happen to know a project manager there who had a bit of a rocky time getting started (overworked), but I think is now happy there. To be honest, my friends have put me off from working there, but who knows, it could just be a biased impression and maybe the company is working to turn things around.

N1H1L 5y ago

My major background is in electron microscopy. Eindhoven is also a massively important microscopy center. This is because Philips used to build great TEMs once upon a time, which was spun out as Philips Electron Optics in the mid 90s. That company merged with FEI of Portland, OR to become one of the largest electron microscope company. FEI a few years back was bought out ThermoFisher to become a group company. They still command a huge portion of the electron microscopy market.

mongol 5y ago

What happened with Philips? As a consumer brand I think they have languished. I liked them a lot in the 80s-90s, now I avoid them.

apexalpha 5y ago
They used to be what Samsung or LG is today, but couldn't keep up after the 90s. They invented the CD and DVD but after that went into decline. They have a consumer side that still does lightning (Philips Hue is pretty big) but mostly focus on healthcare such as MRIs and Ventilators.
- poorna13 5y ago
  Lighting has also been spun off into a separate company (https://www.signify.com/global https://www.signify.com/global) which has a license to produce Philips branded products - similar to the TPVision - Philips TV arrangement. Philips itself is fully focused on healthcare these days (and some consumer adjacencies like Toothbrushes and Baby care stuff).
royjacobs 5y ago
They are focusing on healthcare and personal care products and are doing pretty well there. Their MRI scanners are well regarded, for instance. Other electronics like televisions are still produced under the Philips name, but that's just TP-Vision making them in China and slapping the Philips name on it.
rasz 5y ago
Philips history in 6 chapters, written up by RF engineer with 30 years at Philips/NXP https://www.maximus-randd.com/technology-history.html https://www.maximus-randd.com/technology-history.html TLDR Commodore level management. It ends with picking inferior but marginally cheaper third party components for TVs instead of using own internal products developed specifically for the role, in effect sinking R&D budget and destroying market leader position. WSP (World Standard Pinning) "standardization" story with management naive dreams of selling own products in Asia without cannibalizing home European market while simultaneously moving Consumer Hardware Development to Asia .. where all the hardware was thereafter designed with Asian parts first was priceless. Philips TV division deciding to second source, skipping Philips Tuners division thus eroding own company market share and profit. Then in turn Philips Tuners division commissioning a cheaper clone of Philips MOPLL from Siemens with a huge minimal volume quota, consequently eroding Philips Semiconductors market share by 25% and forcing Tuner division to manufacture inferior products with already obsolete part. Just beautiful, <Chef's Kiss>, Pure genius! > The most devastating development, however, was purely internal and of severe structural impact.