Move over, Apple and Google: Microsoft has its mojo back. In a column earlier this week, The Atlantic's Rebecca Greenfield proclaimed that after a branding and product renaissance, Microsoft now looks like "the hippest tech company on the block." What's behind this resurgence? After all, Microsoft is the same company that was portrayed as slow and uncool in the "Mac versus PC" commercials Apple rolled out.
It started with “The Browser You Love to Hate,” a campaign for Internet Explorer that compared the much-maligned browser to other once-hated items that have since regained popularity, like mustaches or Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Then there are the ad campaigns on Jezebel and Boing Boing, which target the mainstream digerati. It also helps that Google and Apple have recently had some bad press over labor practices and privacy issues.
Naturally, PayScale has a wealth of quantitative data that shows how Microsoft measures up to its Silicon Valley peers. Pay at Microsoft is competitive: its starting median pay is highest in the pack, and mid-career median pay is second only to Google.
While Microsoft’s staff is overwhelmingly male, their median age falls between Apple and Intel. Most employees stay for three years and have nine years of experience.
Perks are also on par with what you’d expect from a top-tier tech company. There’s paternity leave, health club memberships, three weeks of paid vacation and casual dress.
Are you surprised at Microsoft’s resurgence?
(Photo credit: BFIShadow/Flickr)
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