Hello. Currently in the process of looking for new employment, I am curious about the perception in the development community of working at Microsoft versus places like Google, a similarly well-liked software company, or some other fresh, hyped startup.
I understand this is a somewhat shallow question, but employment is closely related to identity and future employment options; and, while I'm experienced in software development, I don't have much experience in the way of socializing in the development community, so I am unfamiliar with the general perceptions on these types of things within much of the SW world.
Let's just assume for a moment one applied to and received offers from Microsoft and Google. My intuition and personal perception is that Microsoft is something of a software dinosaur, bureaucratic and rigid, a bit out of touch with the leading edge of development, whereas places like Google, smaller startups and such are more agile, developer-friendly and forward-thinking.
I have friends who work at these and other similar locations and I reactively tend to esteem the Google employees job more so than those at Microsoft. I'm aware of this personal tendency and it bothers me a bit when considering my own future employment options.
Is this a common feeling, and does it really matter for future career moves?
What is the general opinion in the development world, when meeting someone who works at Microsoft, what's the perception of such a person based on where they work? What's the stereotype? What about Microsoft Research, how does that change the opinion? How does that compare to someone who works at Google?
I understand this is a somewhat shallow question, but employment is closely related to identity and future employment options; and, while I'm experienced in software development, I don't have much experience in the way of socializing in the development community, so I am unfamiliar with the general perceptions on these types of things within much of the SW world.
Let's just assume for a moment one applied to and received offers from Microsoft and Google. My intuition and personal perception is that Microsoft is something of a software dinosaur, bureaucratic and rigid, a bit out of touch with the leading edge of development, whereas places like Google, smaller startups and such are more agile, developer-friendly and forward-thinking.
I have friends who work at these and other similar locations and I reactively tend to esteem the Google employees job more so than those at Microsoft. I'm aware of this personal tendency and it bothers me a bit when considering my own future employment options.
Is this a common feeling, and does it really matter for future career moves?
What is the general opinion in the development world, when meeting someone who works at Microsoft, what's the perception of such a person based on where they work? What's the stereotype? What about Microsoft Research, how does that change the opinion? How does that compare to someone who works at Google?