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Great Work, Bad Long-term Pay

Principal Software Engineer
Current Employee
Has worked at Microsoft for 4 years
May 15, 2025
Redmond, Washington
5.0
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEO
Pros

Work-life balance, friendly management, interesting work, developing cutting-edge new technology from scratch, mostly hands-on development, modern programming language, rich toolset, bright colleagues.

Cons

Compensation drops considerably after 3-4 years. A bad manager can ruin your reputation, and it takes time to recover.

Advice to Management

The company is not prepared to onboard senior engineers. They expect you to know all tools, environment, terminology, and culture overnight.

Additional Ratings

Work/Life Balance
5.0
Culture and Values
5.0
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
5.0
Career Opportunities
4.0
Compensation and Benefits
3.0
Senior Management
5.0

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