Company: Microsoft
Date: 2010-12-30
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: former

Chaotic - Doesn't seem quite sure what business they're in.
Pros: The health benefits are second to none. The Redmond and Bellevue campuses are high-tech, extremely comfortable and eco-friendly. The on-site facilities and ammenities are unprecedented. Most of the people working at Microsoft are among the smartest and most passionate people in the industry.
Cons: Inconsistent management across business units. Politics plays a greater role in how people are rewarded than does their performance. The company still evaluates people on a curve, meaning that 10% of the people MUST be ranked in the bottom 10%. Even super-stars. People are very unhappy and no one feels valued at Microsoft today.

Also, strategic thinking from the top is slow and only focused on “me to” products. Instead, they should be innovating and bringing the next new technology to market.  The company still acts like it is a start-up, with a “ready – fire – aim” mentality. They need to conceed that they are a 43 year old company, in an exceptionally competitive environment. They can't continue to rest on thier deep pockets and fading reputation. Microsoft needs to wake-up before they drive themselves into obsolesce.