Pros
Amazing to work on projects with the potential to have scaled impact on people's lives Some of the smartest most talented people I have had the pleasure to work with (but they are not the managers and leaders)
Cons
One of the most poisonous political environments I have ever experienced - this is academia supercharged with large check books. Fifedom's abound. Senior managers lack good management skills and have no accountability for their own organizational health Very little visability with executives/leaders - senior managers control all the information flow. Incredibly bureaucratic for an organization of this size - Microsoft has a more nimble bureacracy than BMGF Many unhappy people inside who live in fear because they have few career options in Seattle with the same prestige, so they are forced to stay there Abstracted from the real work on the ground and depend too much on consultants who make $200+ per hour to inform their decision making. Don't value on the ground immersion and don't reward telling the truth when something is not going well on the ground, in fact they punish it