I was hired to create a software department in a well-funded , but "old" hardware-oriented company with ~100 employees. In retrospect it's "funny" how much time I spent trying to get the company to accept that developers should be able to use e.g. Linux/Mac, rather than Windows. It tooks several weeks of actual time spent. Insane.
I got there eventually. It's one of those things you don't expect, having worked with smart and flexible software people your entire previous work life. These hardware people were smart, but also incredibly "square", for the lack of a better term. Everything was so insanely rigid.
So much more to tell, but in general: be aware that hardware company culture is very, very different. I don't think it's possible to change the culture unless you change the CEO.
I got there eventually. It's one of those things you don't expect, having worked with smart and flexible software people your entire previous work life. These hardware people were smart, but also incredibly "square", for the lack of a better term. Everything was so insanely rigid.
So much more to tell, but in general: be aware that hardware company culture is very, very different. I don't think it's possible to change the culture unless you change the CEO.