Archive · 31 Aug 2026
TCS and Microsoft Workplace Cultures Compared by Bangalore Techie
Sailesh Gurung worked at Tata Consultancy Services before joining Microsoft.
He wrote online about how the two workplaces felt different to him.
He said Tata Consultancy Services had more layers of managers and approvals.
He described Microsoft as more open and easier to communicate across teams.
He also said Microsoft had a more relaxed dress code and more workplace activities.
At Microsoft, he felt employees owned projects from beginning to end.
He said this brought more responsibility but could also create more opportunities.
Gurung said his comparison was personal and that both companies taught him useful lessons.
Sailesh Gurung described his move from Tata Consultancy Services to Microsoft in a widely shared social media post.
He said Tata Consultancy Services had more visible hierarchy, formal dress expectations, and multiple approval layers.
Gurung described Microsoft as flatter, with more direct communication and fewer management tiers.
He cited differences in ownership, workplace events, family access, amenities, and everyday office culture.
Gurung stressed that the comparison reflected his personal experience, while other professionals shared their own views.
- Who
- Sailesh Gurung, a Bangalore-based technology professional who moved from Tata Consultancy Services to Microsoft.
- What
- He compared workplace culture, hierarchy, responsibilities, dress codes, amenities, and employee experiences at the two companies.
- When
- The article does not specify when the transition or social media post occurred.
- Where
- The comparison concerns workplaces in Bangalore and was shared on social media.
- Why
- Gurung wanted to describe how his personal work experience changed after moving from an IT services company to a product company.
Service-company perspective
Product-company perspective
Hierarchy and communication
Service-company perspective
Gurung described Tata Consultancy Services as having visible hierarchy, several approval layers, and work organized through established processes.
Product-company perspective
He described Microsoft as comparatively flat, allowing employees to contact people across teams more directly.
Responsibilities and career rewards
Service-company perspective
Gurung characterized work at Tata Consultancy Services as often shift-based, with tasks handed between employees in a continuous process.
Product-company perspective
He said Microsoft employees more often owned work end-to-end, bringing greater accountability as well as opportunities for growth and compensation.
Workplace experience
Service-company perspective
Gurung recalled formal clothing and fewer of the informal amenities and activities he later encountered at Microsoft.
Product-company perspective
He cited a relaxed dress code, hackathons, cross-team events, gaming areas, family access, and facilities such as better food, coffee, massage chairs, and rest spaces.
- Person
- Sailesh Gurung
- Previous employer
- Tata Consultancy Services
- Current employer
- Microsoft
- Key structural contrast
- Gurung described Tata Consultancy Services as more hierarchical and Microsoft as comparatively flatter.
- Work ownership
- He characterized Tata Consultancy Services work as often shift-based and Microsoft work as more end-to-end.
- Office culture
- He cited hackathons, cross-team events, gaming zones, informal spaces, and visitor access at Microsoft.
- Qualification
- Gurung said the comparison reflected his personal journey, not a general assessment of either company.