Is Microsoft a good company to work for as a Principal Software Development Engineer?

Principal Software Development Engineer professionals working at Microsoft have rated their employer with 3.8 out of 5 stars in 406 Glassdoor reviews. This is a lower than average score with the overall rating of Microsoft employees being 4.0 out of 5 stars. Search open Principal Software Development Engineer Jobs at Microsoft now and start preparing for your job interview by browsing frequently asked Principal Software Development Engineer interview questions at Microsoft .

Does Microsoft pay Principal Software Development Engineer employees well?

Principal Software Development Engineer professionals rate their compensation and benefits at Microsoft with 3.5 out of 5 stars based on 406 anonymously submitted employee reviews. This is 10.8% worse than the company average rating for salary and benefits. Find out more about Principal Software Development Engineer salaries at Microsoft.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Microsoft?

Software Engineer (6621) , Senior Software Engineer (1744) , Program Manager (1398) , Software Engineer II (1038) , Software Development Engineer (888) , Senior Program Manager (860) , Product Manager (719) , Intern (689) , Technical Support Engineer (685) , Software Developer (666) , Software Development Engineer (SDE) (631) , Consultant (545) , Director (531) , Software Engineer(Internship) (531) , Project Manager (479)

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Microsoft

Microsoft Principal Software Development Engineer reviews

3.8

72% would recommend to a friend

(406 total reviews)

Satya Nadella

80% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (406 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

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 23, 2025

Great!

Principal software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits, salary, work life balance challenges

Cons

Office and rto that is coming soon

4.0

Oct 21, 2025

tbd

Principal software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good environment, work life balance

Cons

Low rewards. Non-transparent promotions system.

5.0

Oct 21, 2025

great company

Principal software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Well managed. Employee friendly. Prestigous

Cons

More Management driven than Meta and Google. More Micro management

Viewing 22 - 24 of 406 Reviews

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Microsoft Principal Software Development Engineer reviews

Company ratings over time

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Great!

tbd

great company

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