Microsoft reviews

Hyper competitive culture means that you spend more time on internal politics than succeeding in the market. Seriously, it was easier to gain market share with an existing product than go through the hassle of launching a new one. The wrong folks are rewarded - predicting hockey stick growth charts is critical to getting new funding - after all, nobody cares about a business that won't make a billion $ with 50% margins. So the inflated growth charts are made, funding given based on those charts, and then the 'responsible' execs move on to their next promotion, leaving somebody else to hold the bag when projections aren't met. I've seen it happen over and over. Finally, as Microsoft makes the transition from a growth company to a cash cow, there's a lot of internal dislocation and the internal culture suffers.

1) VERY political work environment. 2) Not a great deal of personal growth opportunties for minorities. 3) An army of One. Microsoft is extremely focused on unrealistic yearly ratings and they continue to rewards independent contributors, which can hurt someone who's had an above average year and over 100% of quota.