Company: Microsoft
Date: 2015-01-24
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Senior

Great Company
Pros: Working at Microsoft was a childhood dream, I've been there 11 years and have found it a deeply enriching and rewarding experience. There is no shortage of exceptional people and good teams - there are few average people in the company.

I've worked as a software engineer in Redmond and in Europe. There are many opportunities in Redmond to move around, learn, and have a fun career.

I've enjoyed a competitive package and great working conditions (own office, Aeron chair, sit-stand desk, free drinks, good canteens). For productivity it is hard to beat having your own office.

It is a large company and it fascinating to watch from the inside. Recommend reading Microsoft Secrets, Showstopper, and Gates for sense of history.
Cons: There is a natural bias to Redmond as the focus for all activities. Most interesting stuff is located there and it's hard to get attention/recognition for work outside. Outside of Redmond, career opportunities in engineering are thin on the ground - people seem to settle into jobs and not move so it feels a little stagnant.

Historically, there has been competition and nastiness between groups. As I reflect on many amazing Microsoft stories, too many involve gratuitous nastiness or non-co-operation rather than building on each other.

There is a One Microsoft initiative that in theory is great and encourages teams to build on each other, but it seems unevenly deployed and you can't tell who is with the program and who isn't. At this stage it seems 50% chance of having a good One Microsoft experience.