(I've been busy typing along the weekly post and I didn't like how long the post was getting. So, I'm extracting out the miscellaneous stuff from the end of the post and putting this up first.)
"Oh, the comments are the best thing here!"
For the comments are the shiznet here inclined, you might want to check-out this new Co.Comments.Com comment service Scoble mentioned recently. Co.mments.com does indeed track new comments here over time, vs. you having to reload each and every page. I haven't tried every feature, but there also seems to be a way to subscribe to all the posts you're tracking so that you can be back in RSS land. They have some HTML goo I could flip into here to make comment tracking easier - let me know if you think this is worth while. It serves as a nice bridge until a comment RSS feed starts happening here at BlogSpot.
The GM versus the inbred
Not quite The Hills Have Eyes, but still a scary story of when a GM meets an inbred PUM and they just disagree (snippet):
They say perception is reality. I left Microsoft a year or so ago after being there five years as a GM. When I started at Microsoft, I too loved the company. I had the passion everyone speaks of so fondly.
I then ran into my first 'professional Microsoft' PUM who was running a 300 person organization creating nothing. I called bullshit on his efforts, and had no idea what I was stepping into. This individual was hired into Microsoft from college (what I refer to as a 'Microsoft inbred') and had never experienced real life. I have three successful startups behind me, 8 rounds of VC money, VP of two different public companies. Guess who won the battles? Not me. I ended up working for someone with little mnagement experience, also a Microsoft inbred, and the rest is history...
Another ex-Microsoftie has thrown in the towel, too (snippet):
[...] Things were great the first couple of years, I loved being a part of the MS culture and well the options at the time more than made up for the lack of salary and long hours and political BS. I learned so much and had a blast doing it!
but... after many years of salary compression, incompetent managers, watching the people that couldn't even pass a tech screen get hired anyway just to fill a spot while my teammates and I had to take up the slack I have decided MS sees no value in a long term dedicated employee so I put my notice in...
The village isn't destroyed yet, but it's suffering damage.
Other web going ons
(1) The blog 64-Bitter starts off with the post I'm just not that into you, talking about leaving Microsoft after ten years:
You stay because you are averse to risk, crave stability and are scared that you can't do better.
Well, I'm sorry, but I'm just not that into you any more. I can't die the death by risk aversion. I wish you all the luck in the world, because I have a lot of friends there.
(2) There are a couple of posts at http://minimsftinterns.blogspot.com/ about being a Microsoft intern in Canada. Yah, we treat our group's interns a lot different than it sounds like this blogger is experiencing...
(3) Next Microsoft continues along at http://nextmsft.blogspot.com/ and http://spaces.msn.com/nextmsft - the MSN Spaces area (it's still branded MSN, right?) gets more comments and - who-da-whatza?!?
Update: Just got an invite to a discussion on this exact topic from the Director of Development excellence. Eric Brechner is a great guy I respect and enjoy his columns and feedback, and I am looking forward to attending this.
Congrats. Sinofsky in the comments and Brechner brainstorming! Hope that turns out well for you.
(4) Oshoma Momoh has a few notes on compensation, looking back at Microsoft after moving on:
- On Employee Compensation: Note #1, Microsoft Through the Rear View Mirror
- On Employee Compensation - note #2, NewCo Compensation Principles
- On employee compensation – note #3, Democracy in Action
(5) Mr. Bishop over at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a copy of Sr. VP David Cole's Goin' Fishin' internal email: MSN leader announces leave of absence.
(6) CNet reported that Mr. Gentoo-Linux Daniel Robbins left Microsoft. I haven't been able to track down the reason. Does it mean anything in the larger scope of things?
(7) A commenter provided a link to the story Lacking identity, Microsoft stock crawls along. Relevant snippet:
[...] Microsoft shares have underperformed every major equity index since the start of 2002, a slump that could continue until the world's largest software maker finds a clear investment identity as a growth stock or value play, fund managers and analysts said.
Basically, it appears that Microsoft stock is stuck in limbo with no obvious leadership to get it out. Are we a growth company or are we value company? Right now, it's not clear to the outsiders what path our leadership has chosen to direct the company towards. Uncertainty and doubt. Never a good combination on Wall Street. Another snippet:
"The company undoubtedly is doing some of the right things, but it's not going to move the needle for some time on a company of that size," said Scalise at Duncan-Hurst Capital Management.
Ah, if company size is an issue, I've got a great idea how to take care of that.
Tags: Mini-Microsoft, Microsoft, Scoble, Co.Comments, Daniel Robbins
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