I think you overestimate the knowledge an MS dev has outside of their team. Talk to any of them and you'll quickly find out how little they know outside their area. It's a very big company with a lot of silos.

Most "inside information" is spread by watercooler talk anyway -- which is a lot less common when products are separated by building.

The number one source for insider Microsoft information is Microsoft interns. Why? We're in almost every product division in Microsoft and we have our own inter-departmental social groups. I heard of some serious insider information not just on MS, but on Intel, Nvidia, etc. just from hanging out and drinking with the other interns on weekends.

Advice: don't write that kind of comment publicly, you may regret it many years later.

I'm not revealing any of the information, just that word of mouth did spread it. I'm still under NDA.

Many of the same concerns apply to hiring developers from Microsoft. If it's just one stop on a varied career, or if it's combined with some open source activities, then I'm not too concerned; if it's their only full-time job or they've been there for a long time, then my initial reaction is concerned about what kinds of habits and mindsets they've fallen into.