Company: Microsoft
Date: 2013-12-12
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Senior

A very VERY large company with amazing people
Pros: Competitive salaries and stock awards.  Great health benefits (although not as good as they used to be, they're still very good and employees pay very little). A hiring philosophy that tries to bring in the brightest and best, resulting in a very smart group of people.  I have never worked with a group of people with a higher average IQ.  Internal transfers between teams are enabled through tools and policies that encourage this, so you can move around fairly easily.
Cons: It's a big company, and very difficult to impact decisions in a short timeframe.  Often decisions made far outside your circle of influence, and without your knowledge, impact your day-to-day job.  Many of the products are staid and unexciting, and ship on long cycles.  The result is that people who get enjoyment from shipping exciting new software need to get their job satisfaction from other factors.  The performance management system encourages competition within a team rather than rewarding a team for great work.  Finally, the ship cycles can lead to work/life inbalances that last months, and take a toll on home life.