Pros
Part of the positives with working for this lab is that with a little bit of luck and research, you get to choose what you work on. If you to sell it internally within the lab, then you get to build a prototype and to sell it to our headquarters. If you can sell the concept and get sponsorship, you get to drill-down on your topic, build working prototype, attend conferences, meet other companies and become a knowledge expert in the field. Another benefit is that in this economy, working for Orange feels more stable than working for a lot of the other companies in the Valley.
Cons
Being part of a subsidiary that is part of something as big as France Telecom means that you sometimes feel like a very small fish, there is a lot of ambiguity trying to comprehend all the politics in place. There are also very few opportunities for advancement.