A friend of mine just quit MS after 10 years there (Score 1)

He told me the reason he quit was that Microsoft is no longer the company it used to be... while it was a very dynamic and efficient place to work, the last 3-5 years have seen it become very political, with people fighting to clamber over each other, and folks more inetrested in the rat race than in developing great technology. It does show in their stock price, which has been flat for the last six years, and has underperformed even a broad-based index like the S&P 500. It depends on what kind of position you're seeking... if its a managerial level position, then by all means go to Microsoft, but if you're a developer, I'd pick Google. And oh, the weather in the bay area is much better, too! :-)