tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post3372670509332057104..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Severance, Neelie, and RatsWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-7424188068669479392007-10-10T10:40:00.000-07:002007-10-10T10:40:00.000-07:00From what I've seen, the average sales hack is typ...<I>From what I've seen, the average sales hack is typically two levels higher than the average engineer. That blows my mind!This is the Ballmer culture.</I><BR/><BR/>As a level 63 "sales hack", I can tell you that, for my customer mix, it is my credibility and intimate knowledge of actual customer problems that is the only value left at MSFT from their point of view.<BR/><BR/>Lots of us "sales hacks" that are lvl 62+ have 15+ years of development and infrastructure background as <B>customers</B> before we join. What has the average "engineer" (that imagines himself as <B>so</B> valuable) done pre-MSFT? Four years of university? Wow... Impressive.<BR/><BR/>As the Redmond ivory tower, completely narcisistic and self-focused, continues to demonstrate ever more breathtaking levels of cluelessness with releases like Office 2007 and Vista it becomes increasingly incumbant on us "sales hacks" to convince IT that you guys really arent just totally lost and actually have <I>some</I> plan longterm.<BR/><BR/>So before you write off the field and look for more comp and promos for the "engineers" in Redmond, take a REAL look at the work you guys are doing. Think it "sells itself"? What a laugh. As a consumer of MSFT products for 16 years on a professional level, and now as a "hack" for 7, I can tell you that now more than EVER you guys REALLY need the translation layer between you and the people who keep you employed. <BR/><BR/>I know its painful for Redmond to accept that IT is important, but for all the talk of your grand visions and frustrations with management, all of you seem content to gripe about Apple and Google (who are eating your lunch with consumers), keep growing fat off of the Windows/Office monopolies (whose days are really running low) and expect that somehow the stock will magically rise if only we could unload SteveB.<BR/><BR/>This is one "sales hack" who, quite frankly, is really growing tired of being a professional spin doctor for arrogant "engineers" who are completely disconnected from reality.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-25523765510387080832007-10-02T11:46:00.000-07:002007-10-02T11:46:00.000-07:00I know what the severance offer was last spring: 1...I know what the severance offer was last spring: <BR/><BR/>1 month salary per year, capped at 6.5 years<BR/>NO STOCK acceleration<BR/>Buy out of sabbatical (if not taken)<BR/>6 week paid formal job search <BR/><BR/>All in all, significantly less than what banks offer under the same circumstances.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-34351847665293542762007-10-01T20:21:00.000-07:002007-10-01T20:21:00.000-07:00...maybe Facebook got a court order and just decid......maybe Facebook got a court order and just decided it's easier to turn the account off than collect access logs.<BR/><BR/>...maybe it's a good thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-34893668518047574162007-10-01T19:19:00.000-07:002007-10-01T19:19:00.000-07:00Mini:Was your Facebook eviction a gesture of good ...Mini:<BR/><BR/>Was your Facebook eviction a gesture of good faith towards a Microsoft investment? :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-30180097970209255262007-10-01T19:16:00.000-07:002007-10-01T19:16:00.000-07:00R'oh, r'oh.Hey, Facebook friends, fyi, I've had my...<B>R'oh, r'oh.</B><BR/><BR/>Hey, Facebook friends, fyi, I've had my account disabled. Terms of Use, etc. etc. I've written Facebook to see if they'll reconsider, but if not, my Facebook-fanboy days look like they are over...Who da'Punkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-12628883499465773452007-09-30T17:32:00.000-07:002007-09-30T17:32:00.000-07:00The Excel Bug may be "minor" but it is big enough ...The Excel Bug may be "minor" but it is big enough and public enough to dent confidence in Office 2007 for ages.<BR/><BR/>I think Microsoft should name and shame the devs who screwed the converter up, but more importantly, the PMs (WHY do you have so many goddamn PMs compared to anyone else in existence?), and most importantly, the middle management chain involved in this debacle. As I understand it, there are on average 7 levels of mgt between Steve Ballmer and the devs/PMs. The bottom 2 levels should get demoted if possible; the midlevel managers at levels 3 and 4 should get fired. After all, what else are they there to take responsibility for?<BR/><BR/>That should tell people that you're serious about serious bugs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-88863185703422711582007-09-30T16:27:00.000-07:002007-09-30T16:27:00.000-07:00>"Extra points if you know who said that quote."I ...>"Extra points if you know who said that quote."<BR/><BR/>I know you think Steve Jobs said it. Not quite. He lifted the phrase for his book from a Chinese proverb. I think he also lifted the original Mac UI from Xerox PARC (which is why Microsoft won the lawsuit by Apple to stop use of said UI. Steve Jobs great inventor also bought the rights to the iPod and he lifted the idea for the iPhone. <BR/><BR/>So the extra points are for copying a copyist? I suppose the extra points would be for Steve Jobs for being shrewd enough to copy good ideas very very well.<BR/><BR/>Here are a couple of Picasso quotes that are more relevant:<BR/><BR/>Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility. (Pablo Picasso) <BR/><BR/>Ah, good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness. (Pablo Picasso)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-78373873294364410282007-09-30T12:54:00.000-07:002007-09-30T12:54:00.000-07:00It remains to be seen how well Halo 3 will sell. A...It remains to be seen how well Halo 3 will sell. At our local Bellingham WA costco store, Halo 3 along with Xbox360 are displayed at the most visible spot along the entrance path and I still saw lots of them this past Friday night and didn't see anyone stop in front of that booth. Even now the same store still doesn't have any Wii in stock- every time they got new shipment, they were all sold out within minutes.<BR/><BR/>The same thing at Bellingham's Target, Circuit City, and Bestbuy stores- lots of Xbox360s but I've never see a single Wii that is not a display unit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-45666093226482703702007-09-30T10:14:00.000-07:002007-09-30T10:14:00.000-07:00I can't believe we pay people to come up with thes...I can't believe we pay people to come up with these STUPID marketing campaigns.<BR/><BR/>http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/easyeasier/index.htm#introAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-62178926174656692402007-09-30T09:50:00.000-07:002007-09-30T09:50:00.000-07:00"Extra points if you know who said that quote."Chi..."Extra points if you know who said that quote."<BR/><BR/>Chinese proverb.<BR/><BR/>Also Steve Jobs (book title).<BR/><BR/>And...others...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-136272927595614382007-09-29T23:32:00.000-07:002007-09-29T23:32:00.000-07:00"$170 million is just from the first day"Not exact..."$170 million is just from the first day"<BR/><BR/>Not exactly. That's six months of pre-orders. The hard-core gamers are pretty well covered already.<BR/><BR/>"We just shipped something historical."<BR/><BR/>Assuming you mean that we just made history, hmmm. My son's copy arrived <I>with no disk</I>! Scratched disks, missing disks... Yeah, we made history -- it really is a fantastic game, still, no matter what, we find a way to screw up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-67104400682761407032007-09-29T20:08:00.000-07:002007-09-29T20:08:00.000-07:00This isn't intended as any sort of troll, but seem...This isn't intended as any sort of troll, but seemed strangely profound to me.<BR/><BR/>I've just come to the profound conclusion that Microsoft is less loathsome than Google. <BR/><BR/>A large part of Microsoft is engaged in the production and support of generally useful products. Even subtracting HR, legal, and the undead PM armies, my assessment is still positive.<BR/><BR/>Google is an organization that is dedicated to selling ads and bringing ever more people under its purview to aid that purpose. They certainly offer useful services, but the percentage of effort dedicated to them isn't large and is shrinking as ad monitoring and placement efforts grow further. We may have our stupid table, but it's a heck of a lot better morally than something that listens to the ambient environment to determine user behavior.<BR/><BR/>What's especially corrosive in my view is the internal impression that Google is now the model to follow. I'm not sure I want to work on products whose primary design purpose is to "monetarize eyeballs". I'm happy to take the cash from someone buying Office, for example. It's a simple exchange of money for product. I wouldn't be so happy providing "free" Windows that requires users to watch and acknowledge ads. Or a version of Windows that is sending user behavior back home to further aid our ad sales.<BR/><BR/>I could go further on about the glamorization of Google youth and perceived strength, but then I'd have to violate Godwin's Law to make the increasingly visible comparison.<BR/><BR/>At Microsoft, most of the time, I can look at myself and feel (if not proud then at least) constructive. That's at least something. I see the hemorrhage of people to Kirkland and this is what keeps me here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-56222375494227969952007-09-29T15:04:00.000-07:002007-09-29T15:04:00.000-07:00"You guys do realize that the $170 million is just..."You guys do realize that the $170 million is just from the first day, right?"<BR/><BR/>Try all pre-orders (which date back to Nov 06 in some cases) plus the first day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-38196307859944733432007-09-29T13:53:00.000-07:002007-09-29T13:53:00.000-07:00[b]You guys do realize that the $170 million is ju...[b]You guys do realize that the $170 million is just from the first day, right? I can't believe people are still negative on this blog after one of the biggest launches we've ever had. <BR/><BR/>Remember those photos of people queuing up to buy their iPhones? Compare the sales of the iPhone from their opening weekend to that of Halo 3 - the difference is quite staggering.<BR/>[/b]<BR/><BR/>Sure, but the upper bounds on possible iPhone sales is somewhat looser than that of Halo3 sales.<BR/><BR/>Let's shoot for the moon and assume every Xbox 360 owner buys a copy. That's pretty much as far as it can go (and can go higher as more 360's are sold in the future of course).<BR/><BR/>So about 12M copies of Halo3, at $60 each, assuming 100% profit... $720M. The 360 warranty extension hole would then be about 70% recouped.<BR/><BR/>All you have to do is sell one copy of Halo 3 to every single 360 owner at a 100% profit margin.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-56540281142020798372007-09-29T12:12:00.000-07:002007-09-29T12:12:00.000-07:00Remember those photos of people queuing up to buy ...<I>Remember those photos of people queuing up to buy their iPhones? Compare the sales of the iPhone from their opening weekend to that of Halo 3 - the difference is quite staggering.</I><BR/><BR/>How on Earth is it relevant to compare sales trends of a video game to sales trends of a cell phone? There are a plethora of proxies which would be much more suitable.<BR/><BR/>For instance, it would be much more understandable (though still not idiot-proof) to forecast Halo 3's eventual sales by looking back at Halo 2's opening day sales vs. its eventual sales to date.<BR/><BR/>Halo 2 moved 2.5 million copies its opening day ($125 million). And as of September 2007, a little under three years and pretty much at the end of its shelf life, it's up to 6.5 million, in other words the opening day sales still account for over a third of total sales.<BR/><BR/>Without accounting for any other factors (of which there are many, but let's act like execs and make the simplest and least likely calculation), it would be reasonable based on the above to forecast Halo 3's total sales revenue to come in around $500 million.<BR/><BR/>And remember, that's revenue, not profit. So it doesn't even come close to offsetting half of the RROD cost.<BR/><BR/><I>Cheer up folks. Atleast for this week. We just shipped something historical.</I><BR/><BR/>With any luck, it'll be more "historical" for being the wakeup call that Microsoft needs to get away from Xbox. Halo 3's launch went about as well as humanly possible (okay, special edition disc scratching aside) and it's still not going to recover a tenth of the money that Xbox has lost to date. It's time to pull the plug. Leave the videogame business to companies like Nintendo that actually want to be in it instead of those that see projected revenue increases and assume they can half-ass it like Xbox and still make money.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-57889492516027877382007-09-29T09:14:00.000-07:002007-09-29T09:14:00.000-07:00Someone great once said "The journey is the reward...Someone great once said "The journey is the reward."<BR/><BR/>So consider your experience working at MS your reward and not the pay.<BR/><BR/>Extra points if you know who said that quote.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-6141677042316529622007-09-29T07:10:00.000-07:002007-09-29T07:10:00.000-07:00You guys do realize that the $170 million is just ...You guys do realize that the $170 million is just from the first day, right? I can't believe people are still negative on this blog after one of the biggest launches we've ever had. <BR/><BR/>Remember those photos of people queuing up to buy their iPhones? Compare the sales of the iPhone from their opening weekend to that of Halo 3 - the difference is quite staggering.<BR/><BR/>Cheer up folks. Atleast for this week. We just shipped something historical.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-59238312237734183722007-09-28T19:12:00.000-07:002007-09-28T19:12:00.000-07:00"I've heard that sock puppets doing stealth market..."I've heard that sock puppets doing stealth marketing"<BR/><BR/>I don't think that guy's a sock puppet. Frog doesn't need anyone astroturfing for them, they've already got a major reputation from work they did for Apple and NeXT, back in the 80's and 90's. Most of the people in the Apple developer world know who they are, and it's kind of sad if microsofties don't.<BR/><BR/>Of course, Apple's doing their industrial design work in-house these days, due to their desire for total secrecy. If Apple's still going to Frog for any work these days, it's probably for things like cables or retail packaging.<BR/><BR/>I haven't heard what Frog's been up to lately, but I'm sure they're not hurting for clients. (I did hear through the grapevine that Michael Dell's wife hired them for some kind of website design, and they decided to decline any further work from her. Seems she was a difficult customer.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-32980622591290501712007-09-28T16:26:00.000-07:002007-09-28T16:26:00.000-07:00"Hope the experience is worth all it's cost the co..."Hope the experience is worth all it's cost the company."<BR/><BR/>It is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-53643517857321453282007-09-27T23:11:00.000-07:002007-09-27T23:11:00.000-07:00I'm sure someone else has probably pointed this ou...I'm sure someone else has probably pointed this out and Mini just hasn't approved the comment yet, but just in case...<BR/><BR/><I>$170 million in Halo3 sales == 1/6th of the $1B warranty extension charge.<BR/><BR/>Five more Halo3's needed to fill that hole.</I><BR/><BR/>Way more than that. The $170 million is in sales revenue. You still have to subtract our costs. The actual profit is going to be a fraction of that. As in probably under $50 million (yes, margins on games really are that low, even allowing for the distribution of fixed costs - though even there, I have no doubt Halo 3 has incurred more fixed costs during its development than any other title we've ever published).<BR/><BR/>So more like 19 or 20 more Halo 3s needed in the short-term to offset that RROD charge. Or 150 or so Halo 3's (allowing for time value of money) to make back all that the Xbox "experiment" has cost us over the years.<BR/><BR/>And nothing like another Halo 3 anywhere on the horizon.<BR/><BR/>(Of course Robbie Bach knows this. That's why the billion dollar hit got added to last year's books. Otherwise there wouldn't be a chance in hell of Xbox being profitable this fiscal year as he's determined it will be. Little details like the 6+ million we've already wasted? I'm sure the PowerPoint at the next company meeting will somehow manage to leave those out).<BR/><BR/>Sorry to be a buzzkill for anyone who's spent the last three days slaughtering Covenant and other players. Hope the experience is worth all it's cost the company.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-31461375993092863382007-09-27T21:36:00.000-07:002007-09-27T21:36:00.000-07:00Most people are venting and doing nothing else. Th...<I>Most people are venting and doing nothing else. They won't quit, they won't do anything. Let them vent. They can let off steam and not suddenly scream at their manager, PUM, GM, etc. that said person is a moron the next day.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, I'm not just venting, I'm voting with my feet. Nope, not leaving the company (sorry Mini) but finding a better group to work in. The advantage of a big company, as Mini often tells us, is that there are LOTS of options right here, without having to screw up your insurance choices yet again. And if the next gig doesn't work out, there are even more options right here on the farm. So if you have any kind of semi-reasonable skill set, take it on the road! Take a chance that just perhaps things aren't quite so hellish in another org (check it out first, of course) and maybe your work life will get a whole lot better with minimum disruption.<BR/><BR/>It's worth a shot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-4317318564944061162007-09-27T21:20:00.000-07:002007-09-27T21:20:00.000-07:00>>>>Anybody ever heard of a company >>called Frog ...>><BR/>>>Anybody ever heard of a company >>called Frog Design? A couple of >>Microsofties I know went to work >>for them in Seattle and SF, >>doing UI and architecture work. >>I heard they're small but do >>some pretty cool stuff. Wonder >>what you guys have heard. >>They're at www.frogdesign.com.<BR/><BR/>Shameless recruiting post. If you want to hire people goto monster.com or something like this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-5563052270079221402007-09-27T21:01:00.000-07:002007-09-27T21:01:00.000-07:00>"Anybody ever heard of a company called frog desi...>"Anybody ever heard of a company called frog design?"<BR/><BR/>Yes, very well known and respected in the design industry.<BR/><BR/>There showcase their work at many MS events like PDC and MIX.<BR/><BR/>They did a lot of WPF projects - Yahoo! messenger is one of them. <BR/>http://messenger.yahoo.com/windowsvista.php.<BR/><BR/>They also did some of their showpiece keynote work for Mix 2007 which is in Silverlight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-23021551636993910092007-09-27T20:35:00.000-07:002007-09-27T20:35:00.000-07:00"side track - name a computer program that has pro...<I>"side track - name a computer program that has problems multiplying two numbers and yet commands 95% + of the market?"</I><BR/><BR/>*cough*Intel FDIV bug*cough*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-6050094146910908132007-09-27T19:21:00.000-07:002007-09-27T19:21:00.000-07:00$170 million in Halo3 sales == 1/6th of the $1B wa...$170 million in Halo3 sales == 1/6th of the $1B warranty extension charge.<BR/><BR/>Five more Halo3's needed to fill that hole.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com