Company: Microsoft
Date: 2014-08-20
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

Slow changing organizational behavior and culture
Pros: Microsoft still possess a strong brain trusts in all areas of technologies (hardware, software, middleware, methods, and intellectual properties). You encounter many strong minded software engineers and program managers and if you can get their trust, you could learn about the choices made based on the project context and tribal knowledge.  The official company ideal is right "change the world" and provide values to its customers. The benefits are competitive and better than most other high tech companies.
Cons: At the local level, the tone is set by existing network of old bodies and the grand company vision and value system break down. It seems the focus changed from external customers into the internal players and a chess game between many divisions competing against each other for resources and  talents. Hence, the collaboration and the knowledge sharing suffered. Therefore, many great ideas are not expressed freely, since it would change the status quo. Another element of immaturity is the tolerance of bad behaviors to rally the team toward a deadline or P0 issue. Despite the official renouncement of stack ranging by Microsoft, the management still live by old management style and type X practice. It is time to adopt a 21st century leadership style.