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      Microsoft

      Engaged Employer

      Microsoft Principal Software Development Engineer reviews

      3.8

      72% would recommend to a friend

      (406 total reviews)
      avatar

      Satya Nadella

      80% approve of CEO

      70% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Principal Software Development Engineer employees have rated Microsoft with 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 406 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Principal Software Development Engineer professionals have a good working experience there. Microsoft is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Principal Software Development Engineer professionals compared to other employers within the Informationstechnologie industry (3.9 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      406 reviews
      5.0
      Oct 27, 2014

      Great company to work for for a long time. Product units vary greatly in culture - choose wisely.

      Principal software development engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Diverse, a lot of opportunities, a lot of good talent to learn from, good opportunities for career growth as an IC and as a manager.

      Cons

      Microsoft still has work to do to fully embrace the new cloud-first world. Its extensive legacy is a relative guarantee of revenue, but is also a huge deadweight that hinders innovation. Not as sexy to work in as it once had been, so it may not be attracting the top-most talent anymore. Compensation is less that some of the competition. The entire technological stack is proprietary, which means that technical skills you learn will not be immediately applicable in Open Source shops without some adaptation.

      4.0
      Oct 8, 2014

      Huge company at cross roads, fighting for relevance

      Principal software engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Work with some great talented folks; access to technology that billions of people use everyday, now that is something. Lots of teams to move around, so you could have been at the company for 10, 15 years and still feel like there's plenty of new things to do and learn. Pretty good benefits, although medical isn't as great it once was (still good tho, or so I hear from folks who used to be at MS). The Connector (private bus service) is one of the hidden gems, unmatched by any company in Seattle; if you commute 20 miles to and fro daily like me, you will know how awesome this one is.

      Cons

      Many folks are entrenched in their areas (read: been here for 10+ years), so becoming a go-to person is harder and harder by the day. Can get crazy at times, esp. since the embracing of the cloud in the last few year. Forget about formal training, etc. you are basically on your own. Find a mentor quick, read/debug code - that's the best way to learn. Way too many building moves recently, seems like 1-2 times a year is becoming the norm.

      Viewing 370 - 372 of 406 Reviews
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      Glassdoor has 68,443 Microsoft reviews submitted anonymously by Microsoft employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Microsoft is right for you.