My MS interview: tie master.
MS contacted me after seeing the XFML site I've been working on. I wouldn't have applied for the position based on the profile they wrote, it was way of - too much experience needed. They wanted to interview me anyway for a Program Manager position. A program manager is basically someone who determines functionality of a piece of software - and MS set it up in such an ingenious yet obvious way (coders do not report to program managers) that leads to quality code (yes, I just said that) that I'm surprised it hasn't been copied more in the industry. It really is quite brilliant.
Microsoft are famous for their gruelling interview practices - and I have to agree: it was fun but my brain was fried at the end of the day. But again - it just works. I was impressed. I talked to 6 people, and each gave me a design problem, something they were actually working on. I was then supposed to come up with solutions. It is a great way of interviewing, but it really fries your brain fast. By noon I couldn't think straight anymore. (They didn't offer me the job.) Another thing they were trying to find out is if I could be an advocate: had I done talks at conferences? Did I know a lot of people in the industry?
I wore a suit and tie but really shouldn't have bothered. Microsoft are hiring agressively at the moment, I saw at least 10 other people waiting for interviews. None wore ties. Nobody I met wore ties. I was the sole tie master. For the interview, I was flown to Seattle, MS paid. MS got me a nice hotelroom for two nights so I could check out Seattle day two. It looks like a great place. MS are famous for treating their employees well, I would have liked to work there.