Company: Microsoft
Date: 2013-08-28
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Senior

Working at Microsoft
Pros: Very talented set of people. There are a lot of teams and lot of technologies. So after working for a while in one team you can always go and interview with other team to work there if you like the other project. And yes, you read it right. If you want to change your team you need to interview with the other team.
Cons: The stack rank system during review. A whole year's worth of work can go to waste if the folks in your team are ranked higher in the stack ranking system in a closed room with your manager, manager's manager etc. You won't be there in that room. And you get to know why you got a low rating only after you get it. Just because you did the work doesn't mean much. You have to do more work than the other peers in  the same level. If your peers are in the office 24 hours a day delivering more stuff you got no choice. The whole thing about work-life balance is hogwash.