A Bengaluru-based software engineer working at Microsoft has caught the internet’s attention after sharing a humorous yet insightful tour of the company’s Paris office on Instagram. In the clip, Rahul Kaushik, who has been working at Microsoft since July 2024, gave viewers a sneak peek inside the tech giant’s Paris workspace while joking about French culture, vegetarian food, and Europe’s work-life balance.
“A day in the life of software Engineer at Microsoft Paris,” Kaushik wrote while sharing the video on Instagram.
The video begins with Kaushik talking about his experience roaming around Paris. “Paris mein ghoomte hue mujhe ye ehsaas hua tha ki bahut achhi baat hai ki main France mein paida nahi hua, kyunki mujhe toh French bhaasha hi nahi aati (While roaming around, I realised that it’s actually a very good thing that I wasn’t born in France, because I don’t even know the French language, how would I have survived?)” he joked, before adding that the beauty of the city made him consider taking an internal transfer there.
As the video progresses, Kaushik enters the Microsoft Paris office and first heads to the cafeteria. However, he humorously admits that he immediately started doubting his decision after realising there were barely any vegetarian food options apart from croissants and biscuits.
Watch the video below:
Inside Microsoft Paris office
The video also offers glimpses of the office interiors, including conference rooms, an indoor garden-like area filled with greenery, and workstations overlooking Paris landmarks. While showing his desk view, Kaushik jokes that a “bada bijli ka khamba” stood in front of him before revealing that it was actually the Eiffel Tower.
{{/usCountry}}The video also offers glimpses of the office interiors, including conference rooms, an indoor garden-like area filled with greenery, and workstations overlooking Paris landmarks. While showing his desk view, Kaushik jokes that a “bada bijli ka khamba” stood in front of him before revealing that it was actually the Eiffel Tower.
{{/usCountry}}The techie also talks about work-life balance in Europe. He shows empty desks around 4:30 pm and says he was surprised to see employees leaving the office so early after dropping off their laptops. He further claims that, according to government rules, employees are generally not expected to take work calls or messages after office hours.
Kaushik concluded the video with a broader life lesson. “Kaam humaari life ka ek hissa hai, poori life nahi (Work is just one part of our life, not our entire life)” he says, emphasising the importance of separating work from personal life.
HT.com has reached out to Rahul Kaushik. The article will be updated once a response is received.