Company: Microsoft
Date: 2013-07-01
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Senior

A great place to work if you are savvy about career choices
Pros: Microsoft is a huge place and offers many options for individual career paths.  Every one truly has the opportunity (but not guarantee) to make an impact that could literally affect hundreds of millions of users around the world.  Not many people can say that.  The company has also invested in making managers and leaders better, and is very generous when it comes to benefits, stock, bonuses with also competitive base pay.  Depending on the role you're in, bonuses can go up significantly, especially in sales roles which are highly leveraged.  The more senior levels get significantly more stock based on their reviews.  Stock is granted each year based on performance and is doled out over a 5 year vesting period (20% each year).  That means that after being in the senior ranks for a few years, significant amounts of stock can be had by high performers.
Cons: There's no doubt about it, Microsoft is a competitive place, and intentionally so.  If you think you'll stay above the office politics and aren't savvy enough to know how to play the game you run a real risk of being trampled.  Unlike some disgruntled folks, I think for the most part the system works, all sizzle and no steak types don't last - but the highest performers tend to be highly effective at what they do, effective collaborators and yes, successful at self promotion.