Microsoft is a great company to work at, depending on what team you are on. - Program Manager Microsoft Employee Review

4.0
10 Oct 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

An opportunity to be a part of something big. (Not just in company size, but in the projects they take on.) MS has the resources to invest in cutting edge tech. And, chances are your project/product will impact millions of users. The culture is pleasantly surreal compared to the rest of the corporate world: (Casual, private offices, diverse, free soda, MS software free for work use and cheap for personal, great buildings and cafeterias.) They make you so comfortable, the line between work and home get blurred.) In general, the people you will work with, regardless of team, are some of the smartest and most job-focused you will meet in your life. Going to any other company after MS will seem like stepping into Mayberry (simpler folk, moving slower). The benefits package is awesome, I'd guess in the top 1% of all companies. And the non-tangible benefit is an aura of respect you get when outsiders know you as an MS employee (of course, you're thinking: "I'm one of 90,000; what's the big deal?")

Cons

Sometimes the politics at MS becomes over-whelming. Their emphasis on performance for compensation and promotion gives a lot of power to direct and up-line managers. One would hope the most committed employees and those that did the most for the product are rewarded. But in reality, it is the brownnosers and drinking buddies of the right people that move up the stack. MS pays big lip-service to flexible/remote work arrangements but it is mostly talk. This is a company that expects you there in person most of the time. Combine that with the long work hours, and it is the ideal job for young single people and divorcees.

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5.0
7 Jul 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Smart Engineers, good pay, perk+

Cons

Things can be move very slowly

4.0
28 Jan 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

1. If you love tech, this is a great place. No doubt you'll talk tech (mostly the MSFT stack) from enterprise to consumer - from PCs to phones to Xboxes - from datacenter to desktop. 2. What were GREAT benefits are now VERY GOOD (took a small step down) but still probably better than you'll find at 99% of large corporations. If you've got family - the value of the benefits is even higher. 401k match is nice. 3. Even with it's struggles MSFT is still a cash printing machine. This means if you can keep your nose clean and do reasonable work, you can have a stable job, pay your bills, feed your family, and not worry (too much) about layoffs. The stock you own likely won't tank, but probably won't go up much either. You'll get a bonus each year and some stock. It's a decent life if you aren't looking to light the world on fire.

Cons

Brand on Your Resume: After many years of losing market share and struggling to be at the front end of innovation and the fact that there's 90,000 employees, don't think MSFT is necessarily going to be attractive on your resume to more agile and smaller companies. Managing Your Career: Make you say this out loud so it registers - 90,000 employees work there. Double that for vendors. It is VERY hard to "stand out" and move up in the company. Don't expect your manager to be much of an advocate or enabler to help you meet your career goals - they are basically trying to survive the stack rank every year too. Not familiar with the stack rank? Check out the 2012 Vanity Fair article called "Microsoft's Lost Decade".

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