Microsoft Reviews in Mountain View, CA

Pros

Microsoft benefits are incredible! The work environment is good. Most of the people are reasonable and smart. You get lots of opportunity to learn new technologies (albeit all of them are MSFT).

Cons

Microsoft has the toes into so many industries and products, that they seem to lose sight of the big goal sometimes. Their tendency to insist on using nothing but their own products is also a source of headaches.

Advice to Senior Management

Management needs to do a better job of passing down information and letting the IC's know what is going on.

Pros

Stable company with lots of oppertunities. Head quarters has many groups and it's easier to find oppertunities to move around than remote offices.

Cons

Microsoft doesn't have a good history of merging aquired companies especially in the bay area where the culture of other companies may be very different.

Pros

People you work with are very smart and work life balance is good

Cons

Management has scope for improvement

Pros

Awesome benefits, great work life balance, amazing focus on employee development

Cons

Redmond centric, all growth opportunities in redmond, slow, out of touch with internet pace

Advice to Senior Management

Operate like a startup

Pros

long learning curve, job security is good as they won't let you go without any sign. People are told to be polite, so manner of co-worker/managers are very comfortable.

Cons

Politics, promotion and good performance are very tricky. Less and less company potential. Insider only think the idea of old windows time, they don't honor innovation.

Advice to Senior Management

review is not quite fair, manager's comments in determining the employee accounts for too much percentage on final decision. Support IC initiated idea/project/innovation.

Pros

stable company with a lot of talented people

Cons

limited growth. company is too big to be nimble.

Advice to Senior Management

make process lighter for fast innovation

Pros

Lots of talented people to work with
Good work-life balance
pay for tution reimbursement
unlimited investment choices for the 401k plan

Cons

some of the product units have poor leadership
lot of overlapping or redundant projects
difficult to switch groups within Silicon Valley

Advice to Senior Management

Make it easier to find resources within the company
Encourage groups to work with each other
Move to distributed development model - open R&D centers in more metropolitan areas

Pros

Stable, as expected when working for such a company.
Mostly fair. Haven't felt any unfairness.
Free. Mostly you have control on what you are doing.

Cons

No opportunity for rapid financial growth. MS stock has been flat for decades.
Not easy to move to new area.

Pros

World class benefits, pretty impressive perks, interesting problems

Cons

Dragged down by underperforming divisions. We should axe them or sell them.

Advice to Senior Management

Spin out underperforming divisions as their own companies

Pros

Awesome perks, 100% coverd medical/dental. Dont pay a single dollar for even prescription. Work life balance, growth potential, impact, satisfaction and what not

Cons

Too large now, needs to slim down some projects.

Advice to Senior Management

Slim down the company. Take the money out of testers and increase dev salary. Comeon, who gives the testers same money as devs.