Stay AWAY! Microsoft has gone from being one of the best companies to work for, to one of the worst in 6 short years.
Pros
At this point, pros are the few remaining really smart AND really nice people (although they're rapidly being pushed out), still some great technology, particularly on the server side like SharePoint, Azure, etc, Windows Phone and Xbox. A lot of potential if execs can sort themselves out.
Cons
Managers in most cases treat employees like dirt and as completely expendable. They're fast becoming an Oracle sales mentality. One person at a very high level has completely changed the atmosphere, and the way the stack ranking now runs is worse than the Vanity Fair article described. It's a dog eat dog environment, where how good you are, and how much you contribute has little to nothing to do with your chances of success, and how much you suck up to managers in your district, or how much "visibility" you have is the only measure of success. The fact that the hiring manager for the last job I had there over 9 years told me first and foremost 'lets figure out how to get you enough visibility so that I can defend you in the stack ranking' instead of discussing what I should be doing in my job says it all. This appears to be pretty much endemic at MS now, and every week I hear of yet another awesome employee leaving or being forced out. However, the Mid-Atlantic States District is particularly bad, with politics that I have never seen in my 20 years in IT and sales. MS also treats partners terribly. Partner CSAT scores are gamed. The level of frustration in the partner community has never been higher. Partners depend on MS for a lot of revenue, but most hate MS because of the way they are treated.
