A family member worked for Intel.. retired a while back but he seemed to like it.
Yeah, the thing with Intel is that it is a HUGE company. They have many sites in many different towns doing many different things. So people are going to have a lot varying experiences. I did an internship with Intel out in Oregon (Not stalking TuxDave!!!) and I really enjoyed it. I liked the work that I did. They gave good pay and benefits. And the I found a few social organizations within the company that I liked (hiking club). But I also saw a few aspects that people would not like.
Regarding WackyDan, I was surprised about the sabbatical program. Actually, one of the guys in my office was taking a year long sabbatical when I worked there. Sucked because he was the only one that knew how to run the mill that they wanted me to use.