Microsoft

As a contractor (actually a vendor, but basically the same), I got to work on a lot of great projects and didn't have to deal with much of the bureaucracy. There were a lot of smart people there that were great to work with for the most part. It was a pretty good team environment most of the time I was there. There were a lot of great perks and a fantastic campus to work at.

Each group seemed to operate very independently from all other groups, and groups would fight for resources. Some projects would have plenty of money and tools, whereas other groups would have to make do with less equipment. There was a lot of tribal knowledge as well that didn't get shared between groups. It felt like we were at times unnecessarily reinventing the wheel. Also, there was a very defined hierarchy. It felt like you needed to know who to suck up to and when to close your mouth. A lot of the higher-ups also seemed to discourage dissent and wouldn't accept bad news. There were also a lot of shake-ups in groups and teams every few months that were very disruptive and felt very random. It felt as though some high-level project manager was trying to justify their position. Although I worked as a contractor (technically a vendor), I saw many full-timers who spent a lot of time at work and seemed to live there.

Learn to share information better and communicate between groups. Make it easier for groups to share ideas and resources.