"we never do anything stupid because some manager/MBA/suit-type has power without knowledge". Sounds like Steve Ballmer, right ?
The truth is that MS has always been a great company, on all accounts I have ever read on the matter it appears to me that MS is a kind of organization that any hacker would love to work for.
But its been a fifteen years from when MS was considered cool. Hip kids don't want to look at it. They don't even want to educate about it. So they go and work and sing praises to Google and FB, who have just now started to show their different, corporate nature.
And geeks have gone and given them the scepter of Power. And I find it ironic that these new hip companies represent a greater danger to computing, freedom and privacy than MS ever has.
They say that he who fails to learn the lessons of the past is doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
That said, I share my ceiling-high-walled office with one other person and if we need privacy, we can close a physical door.
In all, from my experience, it's a great company to work for. I would recommend it to any of my friends that are seeking work.
Also - BillG really trusts Steve. They've worked together for over 25 years.
Probably counting the number of zeroes in his account balance and realizing that he's answerable to stock-holders now.