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Which of these is correct and why?

I work at Microsoft

I work in Microsoft

I've seen 'at' everywhere but nobody uses 'in'. Why?

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  • I work at/for Microsoft – user 66974 Jul 17 '18 at 15:57
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    If Microsoft were a box, you could work "in" it. Prepositions are difficult in almost any language. – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_ Jul 17 '18 at 15:57
  • I think "in" is generally reserved for the field in which you work (I work in the education industry) or a physical environment (I work in a cubicle in an office building.) I'm not sure why "at" is used for the company, but it could also be "for" (I work for Microsoft.) – Roger Sinasohn Jul 17 '18 at 15:58
  • So we can't use in at all? –  Jul 17 '18 at 15:59
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    If you were standing on the pavement in front of Microsoft talking to somebody and they asked where you work, then maybe you would use "in Microsoft". But "at" is used for exact locations or times (at the mall etc...at 5 o'clock) – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_ Jul 17 '18 at 16:17
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    Welcome to EL&U. I believe you will find the answer in Which one is right — “He works at company X” or “in company X ”? – choster Jul 17 '18 at 16:20
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    As a rough guide: You work for a company, at a location, in a department. –  Jul 17 '18 at 16:28
  • See also : https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/5411/working-in-for-at – user 66974 Jul 17 '18 at 16:35
  • @Dim But you can work IN a hospital/office/factory/school (also AT one of them). – WS2 Jul 17 '18 at 17:29
  • @WS2. Agreed! However, while some people use IN/AT interchangeably, others will say AT can be used for a general location (inside/outside), IN actually means "inside a location" and not any adjacent territory. E.g. If you work as a school gardener, you should say "I work AT a school", and not IN a school. But if you're a teacher, you can use either IN/AT. Do you agree? –  Jul 17 '18 at 18:00
  • @Dim Yes. "In" does seem to convey a sense of "inside", or "indoors". However one cannot be too hard and fast, someone might say "I work as a landscape gardener in a large practice", where the nature of the work perhaps keeps them outdoors most of the time. – WS2 Jul 18 '18 at 20:57
  • @Dim And one is "in the army/navy etc", never "at". – WS2 Jul 24 '18 at 21:30

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Working "At" a company generally means working as an employee. It is not so much a preposition as "in" which refers to your current location. An employee of Microsoft would tell you he is at Microsoft even if he were working from home at the time. A contractor fixing a copier at the Microsoft office could say they were working at work in Microsoft.

I think it is more a matter of usage than strict meaning.

Elliot
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