Company: Microsoft
Date: 2012-04-04
Overall rating: 5/5
Employment status: current

Feels like Microsoft is getting its mojo back
Pros: I've been at Microsoft a number of years, and worked at 3-4 different places before Microsoft. I can honestly say that the people at Microsoft are the smartest, most wide-ranging in their talents and interests, and most inspiring people I've ever worked with. This place is just full of Type A people who have excelled at school, startups, sports, music, and life in general. It can be a little humbling at times, but it creates a really exceptional mix where you can do your best work and stretch yourself and learn something new every week.
The company obviously went through a bit of a dry spell, with the difficulties in getting Vista out the door and the mixed response to Vista, and the company's well-documented shortcomings in tablets and mobile devices. But it looks like the company is really turning things around now, with a rock-solid Windows 7 release 2.5 years ago, strong industry buzz around Windows 8, growing enthusiasm for Windows Phone, Xbox and Kinect beating Wii and PlayStation, stock price up 20% over the past 3 months, etc, etc.  So one of the best reasons to work at Microsoft right now is that the company definitely feels resurgent -- feels like we are getting a little spring in our step, and breaking through in some key areas that will be critical for future growth.
Beyond that, there are all the usuals -- great pay, great health care, great amenities, great quality of life in Seattle, company is focused on staying lean and nimble, etc, etc...
Cons: The Seattle location can sometimes make it tough, when so much of the industry and media attention is Valley-centric. 
Every group is so empowered and focused on its goals that it's sometimes hard to get cross-company collaboration on a project.
The recent changes in the employee review and compensation process make me a little worried that we could be moving toward an every man for himself culture if they don't fine-tune some of the rough edges over the next year or two.
Apple, Google, Facebook get a lot more buzz than Microsoft -- will be interesting to see if that changes over the next 1-2 years...