Company: Microsoft
Date: 2008-06-13
Overall rating: 5/5
Employment status: current

One happy Softie here...
Pros: Microsoft offers a transparent workplace that values and rewards fact based decision making.  The team that I work on is fantastic, and this sentiment is shared broadly across my extended group.  Expectations are high at Microsoft, personal accountability is expected, contributions are recognized and efforts are rewarded.  I particularly value the self-awareness that is so central to the culture at Microsoft.  Product/service limitations are openly acknowledged, and they drive people to work hard at improving what we produce.  Finally, living and working in the Pacific Northwest is a privilege that makes the damper months more than worth it.  The natural surroundings are nothing short of stunning, a fact I'm frequently reminded of when I return home from my many business trips.
Cons: As with any large organization, and particularly one like Microsoft where power accrues to individual business groups, politics can at times play an outsized role in cross-group collaboration.  There can also a fair amount of bureaucracy when trying to effect change in projects with numerous stakeholders.  Time spent in meetings can also get out of hand, so an ability to manage one's time around this reality is critical.