pheonixblade9

huh, I used Cadence to design this, what level of education does a VLSI layout engineer usually need?

I ask questions like:

What is the corporate culture like?

Even if you don't care, this seems to impress HR people

What kind of work/life balance is expected for this position/is typical with this company?

This is the best way to ask "am I gonna work 40-45 hours/week or are you gonna run my ass ragged?" It's also a good way to find out about fringe benefits like a company gym, vacation time... that sort of thing.

Just a couple examples I frequently use. Both of these start a dialog and help you learn more about the company, as well.

something jecb didn't cover. there's actually special trade laws covering mask works to protect IC/PCB designers, similar to copyright, but not exactly the same.

It's called the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984, specifically for images related to maskwork, I believe.

reminds me of the anti terrorism center in the WTC.

Uhm, what you described is still incredibly bad.

Also, your anecdote does not disprove the actual data on health outcomes.