tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post110413779092316983..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: s/Marcia/Google/gWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1135750014018847522005-12-27T22:06:00.000-08:002005-12-27T22:06:00.000-08:00A bit off topic, but worth mentioning since it tie...A bit off topic, but worth mentioning since it ties together a bunch of topics outlined herein. Google just out manuevered MS in courting AOL's hand.. a deal that would have given MSN a big shot in the arm. (We lost it because AOL didn't think we were treating this as a partnership.) Given Blake Irving and his cohorts blew this deal (and essentially handed it to Google), where is the accountability? If this were an investment bank, Blake (who is nothing more than an expensive commodity) would have been publicly beheaded in the town square. But I guess the Yes Man Leader doesn't have the chutzpah to do the right thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1128992781453662572005-10-10T18:06:00.000-07:002005-10-10T18:06:00.000-07:00As a 9 year MS employee in Silicon Valley, I often...As a 9 year MS employee in Silicon Valley, I often wonder whether it's time for me to go. It really isn't at all the same company I joined, and the Redmond-centricity is getting overwhelming. The number of interesting non-Redmond MS jobs for someone with strong development experience is quite small. And it is nearly impossible to get a job for a Redmond-based team if you are not at corporate. MS managers are very keen on "co-location" to the point that they brag about their efforts not just to get their teams in the same building, but also on the same floor. I find this ironic coming from a company that has many products designed for remote collaboration. Clearly, MS doesn't believe in its own collaboration products enough trust employees use to use them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104723112917789912005-01-02T19:31:00.001-08:002005-01-02T19:31:00.001-08:00Heres a fun game to play - how many LPM/PUM/GM 's ...Heres a fun game to play - how many LPM/PUM/GM 's do you think are out there that have written RTM code?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104723087131576612005-01-02T19:31:00.000-08:002005-01-02T19:31:00.000-08:00Heres a fun game to play - how many LPM/PUM/GM 's ...Heres a fun game to play - how many LPM/PUM/GM 's do you think are out there that have written RTM code?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104722328722658802005-01-02T19:18:00.000-08:002005-01-02T19:18:00.000-08:00IMHO, there is plenty of innovation and drive amon...IMHO, there is plenty of innovation and drive among developers. BUT it gets quickly killed at PUM/GM and above levels. Reasons? 'Oh, we can't ship this now, we must align with product X'. Or: 'Group Y is behind the schedule, we can't be writing new stuff, we should load balance them!'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104694800761521162005-01-02T11:40:00.000-08:002005-01-02T11:40:00.000-08:00+1,I'm not again google but I prefer Yahoo
-------...+1,I'm not again google but I prefer Yahoo<br />-------------------<br />http://fg.logiciel.free.frAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104547138776100912004-12-31T18:38:00.000-08:002004-12-31T18:38:00.000-08:00(Admin: removed a post per request on other page [...(Admin: removed a post per request on other page [<A HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Fminimsft.blogspot.com%2F2004%2F10%2Fis-it-wrong-to-want-to-kiss-joel.html">http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2004/10/is-it-wrong-to-want-to-kiss-joel.html</A> ] - I don't plan to do this too often.)Who da'Punkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104512961451567382004-12-31T09:09:00.000-08:002004-12-31T09:09:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104361389418392632004-12-29T15:03:00.000-08:002004-12-29T15:03:00.000-08:00Who hired those useless VPs, who tasks them and to...Who hired those useless VPs, who tasks them and to whom do they report? Also, who's babies are the emerging businesses that despite years of gestation and $B's lost, collectively represent a rounding error on MSFT top line, can't sustain even 10% overall growth and are still detracting from profitabililty? Sorry, accountability starts at the top and since Ballmer is fond of that subject lately, perhaps he should start with himself.<br /><br />BTW, don't be too sure of MSFT not going away. I used to think that and figure MSFT was maturing into an IBM-type company. Of late, I'm wondering if Digital Equipment isn't a more likely scenario.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104286689126916022004-12-28T18:18:00.000-08:002004-12-28T18:18:00.000-08:00>The problem is to many VP's playing politics inst...>The problem is to many VP's playing politics instead of building software<br /><br />Oh I absolutely agree.<br /><br /><br />How many of these VP's names do you even recognise?<br />http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104263617510304182004-12-28T11:53:00.000-08:002004-12-28T11:53:00.000-08:00The problem isn't Gates/Ballmer/Raikes. The proble...The problem isn't Gates/Ballmer/Raikes. The problem is to many VP's playing politics instead of building software.<br /><br />Most of them are wealthy and don't have that hunger. I believe Gates and Ballmer are still hungry as for the rest of the VPs and SVPs I just don't see it.<br /><br />I don't think MS is going away but I do think that we will lose relevance if we don't innovate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104258738750731772004-12-28T10:32:00.000-08:002004-12-28T10:32:00.000-08:00The main problem is lack of innovation and the cau...The main problem is lack of innovation and the cause of that is more than simply being a big company. As such, reducing headcount (which I agree should be done) isn't going to solve the problem - it's simply going to buy more breathing room. Frankly, MSFT needs new leadership - Gates/Ballmer/Raikes are too invested in the past, lack the creativity required for the future and (even if they had the ideal skill set) suffer from too much past baggage to lead MSFT to the next level. If nothing radical is done, I agree with you that MSFT's total atrophy and irrelelevance is inevitable - it's already well on its way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104252992606923912004-12-28T08:56:00.000-08:002004-12-28T08:56:00.000-08:00If we actually HAD a plan when we got done with pl...If we actually HAD a plan when we got done with planning, it would have been time well spent. Instead, we have a "vision" and some "scenarios", but no ACTUAL PLAN that people can execute against.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104213956263177752004-12-27T22:05:00.000-08:002004-12-27T22:05:00.000-08:00I find it hard to accept the idea of just blindly ...I find it hard to accept the idea of just blindly firing people like that.<br /><br />I don't work at MS, but I think everyone there should be a competent software developer. <br /><br />Also, every employee should be able to pick up the phone at any given time and resolve a customer's technical problem on at least one product.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104210637538135302004-12-27T21:10:00.000-08:002004-12-27T21:10:00.000-08:00The only reason people are leaving is because the ...The only reason people are leaving is because the stock is flat. If the stock was growing at even half the rate it did in the 90's people would not be leaving the company.<br /><br />Do we have to many people? Yes! instead of a 10% reduction. Just get rid of all of the contractors! Go look at headtrax and you can see how many contractors that are on staff. It would be very easy to just cut the CSG people across the board and save tons of cash.<br /><br />We also need to be more efficient in how we build software. We spend to much time in the planning stage. We spend to much time in the politics. We need to cut some of those high salary VP's also. Do we need over 100 hundred VP's? NO! All they do is fight over who owns what and who will build what. Why is there a BI group under Richard McAniff and also a Lewis Levins BI group? That is just a bunch of VP politics about who owns what. We are becoming to corporate. We need to get rid of some of these VP's who have been around for 15-20 years and move some of the younger GM's or directors into the VP role. New Blood!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104209902919835352004-12-27T20:58:00.000-08:002004-12-27T20:58:00.000-08:00According to an article I read within the past cou...According to an article I read within the past couple weeks, the Microsoft CIO agrees that the labor pool is tight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104189933856991352004-12-27T15:25:00.000-08:002004-12-27T15:25:00.000-08:00The tech-pool is big, my a**. It is freaking hard ...The tech-pool is big, my a**. It is freaking hard to find good people these days. They are all going to Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and maybe eBay. That´s it. No Microsoft. What you rather see these days is what good ol´ Steve once called bad attrition. Good people running away screaming. Bah!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1104139184198858272004-12-27T01:19:00.000-08:002004-12-27T01:19:00.000-08:00>if Google survives and gets bigger and bigger the...>if Google survives and gets bigger and bigger they<br />>won't be serving three-squares a day and making their <br />>employee life so easy<br /><br />well that depends - whats the hiring pool like these days? If you're doing some really smart hiring (and you can be picky these days) then you can grow in size but not bog down the company with non-technical idiots.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com