Pros
* Still a world leader in software, and is in tons of businesses and geographies, so there are plenty of career options long-term * Dress code is casual, and company culture is laid back and forward-thinking - lots of opportunity to try new methods and ideas * Pays well and has both a performance bonus and stock award based on performance * Health benefits are second to none, and the company provides a ton of little extras that make life beter (gym membership, free beverages, flexible work arrangements, amazing company events and morale events, etc) * Management very supportive of personal and professional development * Amazingly diverse and bright group of co-workers - in my workgroup of ~40 people, I have co-workers from Japan, China, India, Singapore, Australia, Turkey, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Poland, Netherlands, France, and Canada - I get to travel around the world without leaving my office * Very generous corporate culture - company sponsors a massive Giving campaign and strongly encourages its employees to give back to the community in various ways
Cons
* Organizational silos are brutal here - cross-group collaboration is getting better but still a major issue that the company needs to work on * Not for everyone - you really have to own your development plan and commitments here - no one is going to hold your hand * Corporate resources are plentiful and high quality, but can be very difficult to navigate * Re-orgs are an unfortunate, regular part of life here * Your Microsoft experience may vary considerably from group to group, so a lot depends on your immediate manager (which is good if you have a good one, but can be disastrous if you have a bad one) * There are so many talented, bright, and hardworking people here that it can be very difficult to get noticed and advance - it's easy to get lost in the crowd of 80,000+ FTE's