Company: Microsoft
Date: 2013-10-26
Overall rating: 1/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Junior

Toxic, competitive, unaware, conceited culture.
Pros: Benefits are great overall. Engineers get paid insane amounts. HR is seen an useless, and is paid similar in salary, but bonuses are barely negligible, especially stock.
Cons: The performance review model, toxic, competitive culture. HR is the worst I have experienced in 25 years of my career. HR is insecure, not talented nor strategic. They only know how to do HR transactional work. Engineers do not respect HR, rightfully so. They only believe in the recruiting function, in "buying" talent, not building talent. Its very difficult to get hired so employees could be strong but the "lifers" stay forever because there are pet favorites and are not encouraged to bring newcomers along because the performance review model encourages individualism, not team.