Pros: I found Microsoft to be a safe, supportive place to work. Everyone knows their job and sticks to it. People shouldn't take this for granted because in other places, sometimes even your job description and/or expectations are ambiguous. The benefits are great, especially free health care. I always felt like my managers and peers had my best interest and my career advancement in mind, right up alongside the team's success. I believe that MS is a company of integrity, one that supports great causes and supports the employee as far as possible. There is always someone to learn from or some piece of technology to learn about right there in-house. So, learning and mentorship opportunities are both plentiful.

Cons: You can gain quite a bit of weight from the free drinks, affordable lunches, and frequent summer morale get-togethers. So, while all of the above is good, you need to take advantage of your ProClub pass. The only other downside I can think of, and I am really struggling, is that you can easily get so comfortable at Microsoft that you never ever leave. I have felt like this and spoken with others who have to force themselves to see other career options/moves. It's hard to give up Microsoft's benefits and stable work environment, but having a diverse resume is also very important.

Pros: Some genuinely interesting technology, and most ICs I work with want to make the best product they can. Great benefits package, pay is average.

Cons: Management (in general) can make for some truly caustic work environments, sucking all the joy and morale out of groups. I've seen some talented people in management who strive to improve their groups, but they are the exception, not the rule. Yeah, this sounds cliché, but areas of MS can make Dilbert look prophetic.

Pros: Excellent place if you are a star coder & game player. Microsoft loves super-smart coders. If you can code 12 hours without stopping, Microsoft is still willing to pay big bucks for you.

Cons: If you want promotion, work/life balance is very hard to maintain. Opaque and inhuman review process.