tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post5273576780264621073..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Microsoft FY12Q4 Results - Plus That Lost Decade ThingWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-51103014357616215252013-10-21T05:04:26.130-07:002013-10-21T05:04:26.130-07:00I'm yet another victim of the stack-ranking ma...I'm yet another victim of the stack-ranking malaise... got the boot after 9 years. Was a bit worried at first, but it took me all of 2 hours of clear-headed thinking to realize that this is the BEST thing that could have ever happened to me. I had two months of paid time on my hand, and luckily, a pretty good new job prospect is on hand, so these have actually been the best two months of my 51-year old life.<br /><br />I've been a pretty consistent 2 and 3 performer but this time, I had a new manager - the "old school" Microsoft type with 12 years in MSFT - which means he's grown by really riding the system, so he's a master manipulator, an expert at backstabbing, politicking, a**-licking, and all those handy survival skills that Microsoft teaches. Of my 3 commitments, I missed one by 5%, met the second one very comfortably, and belw the third one out of the water with an all-time record high fr that particular metric. But my manager gave me a 5, because he said I didn't get enough "visibility". Translation - HE didn't manage to somehow get credit for my results, because I'd been working on them well before he took over as my manager!<br /><br />Microsoft India, with its new leadership (yet again!) has become a no-holds-barred dog-eat-dog organization. So when I thought about all this on the day I handed in my blue badge, it didn't take long to heave a massive sigh of relief and get out of this poisonous environment.<br />jaykayessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-9732349516415896972013-07-22T08:05:23.863-07:002013-07-22T08:05:23.863-07:00mini, did you just blame QA for the browser choice...mini, did you just blame QA for the browser choice screen? How many effing principals and partners are there involved around this experience who are free from blame here? They must be getting 1*'s while the QA "responsible" for the problem are getting 4's. Fuck Microsoft and all their ineffective middle managers (mini I'm looking at you).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-48094574674897908492013-01-23T13:23:56.968-08:002013-01-23T13:23:56.968-08:00I'll just quote one of the previous comments
&...I'll just quote one of the previous comments<br />"I went to the information session when the new 1-5 method was announced. HR repeated over and over again that your score is not a reflection of who you are; it isn't you. When my score came in at 4 my manager sat down and apologized because he'd put me in for a 3. He had no idea at what level it was changed but all he could say is there was nothing he could do because the change didn't happen in our org"<br />Same thing (exactly, word for word) happened to me. It's sort of scary when I read this.<br /><br />Praise from manager, then ranking down with no explanation except "it was done outside this company" (I used to work at separate MS studio in the UK), "ranking isn't you" BS etc.<br />The outcome? I left 3 weeks later, got head hunted by other company, where I don't have to deal with this kind of stuff and can concentrate purely on my work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-64708816928742898852012-11-09T08:06:16.176-08:002012-11-09T08:06:16.176-08:00I left MS over a year ago as I felt I was being le...I left MS over a year ago as I felt I was being led down the path to the door and could not personnly take the abuse I was being given by my manager, HR and "occupational health"...<br /><br />I now know of at least 15 people who have been paid off by MS over the past few years, at least 20 who have been pip'd out and countless more who have resigned as I did.<br /><br />The HR systems have to change, the stack ranking destroys teams who otherwise would work together for the greater good. <br /><br />MS you have to change, you lose fantastic staff every day and the company is so much worse because of this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-39313415941553245172012-11-08T14:27:43.149-08:002012-11-08T14:27:43.149-08:00This method of grading employees/co-workers is wha...This method of grading employees/co-workers is what make Microsoft a toxic waste dump.<br /><br />When I left, a 'sweet' girl who was an account managers got promoted to product managers globe trotting with the guy who piggy backed their promotion (usually married man who can get his bacon away from home).<br />Those who found out, the frat boy played the system well to make the executive see him as super star (while hiding the affair) and all those that knew were fired because we were a threat.<br />What happened? I was let go, my senior managers left because he started stacking up 'info' on why we were not qualified....sad part is his mentor pulled him in the project to save his career. <br />result - mentor had to leave MS because he got backstabbed by his mentee.<br /><br />This is why I'll never go back to work MS...<br />sex and sleeping around<br />promoting the wrong guys<br />encourage back stabbing behavior<br /><br />forget MS....go somewhere like Apple and Google, where sleeping around, frat boys, and back stabbing behavior don't get farAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-67403913989333668492012-10-29T23:52:05.093-07:002012-10-29T23:52:05.093-07:00What do you all think about Lync ($1 billion biz) ...What do you all think about Lync ($1 billion biz) being merged into Skype? Lync engineering leadership is subordinated to Skype, and they are getting rid of the Lync client/server/service in favor of Skype. Seems like a bad deal for customers and for the engineering team in Redmond.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-91938350266889832432012-10-29T23:50:57.565-07:002012-10-29T23:50:57.565-07:00L66 midpoint is around $200K. Note that with the n...L66 midpoint is around $200K. Note that with the new compensation system, compa ratios are slowly converging on 1.0 (if you had a high compa going in to the new review model, your pay raises are moderated vs. someone with a low compaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-71484824260434624152012-07-24T03:10:19.385-07:002012-07-24T03:10:19.385-07:00I have been trading MSFT for a while now. I got al...I have been trading MSFT for a while now. I got alerted well before the volume started to pick up and because of this I was able to score a nice profit a few times. The report helped me get a better understanding of the stock and its trends. It’s always best to know and understand the stock before you buy. Check it out at vippennystocksite.com (Kindly, copy and paste the link in to your browser.)Tauqeer Ahmedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09763458567087356361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-13530863423520543452012-07-24T00:54:58.292-07:002012-07-24T00:54:58.292-07:00It is soon 2 years since I left MS after +16 years...It is soon 2 years since I left MS after +16 years of service. This after having been screwed over in the review process (PIP and all) regardless of some rather severe personal problems at the time. Reading this, while actually ENJOYING being at work for the first time in many years at my new IT-job, I belive I made the right decision, even if it was a tough one at the time. The future of MS isn't looking to bright, luckily enough I don't have all that much MSFT stock left anymore. Sad really, as the first 10 years there were amazing, Win95 launches and all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-57925513014342081372012-07-24T00:15:30.363-07:002012-07-24T00:15:30.363-07:00OK, I am kindda getting bored here reading must of...OK, I am kindda getting bored here reading must of you (comments) complaining about the review system etc. I you haven't figure it out by not this review system must go if we want to keep talented people. Easier said than done but seriously if WE don't do something to change this system and if it does not change by next year's review I think I am going to bail out and find other place to work, which it's probably a good thing for my well being but its also a shame that talented people like me are thinking of going somewhere else. I really want to see this place create awesome products but I can only take so much of this culture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-23261270028746899502012-07-24T00:14:52.632-07:002012-07-24T00:14:52.632-07:00OK, I am kindda getting bored here reading must of...OK, I am kindda getting bored here reading must of you (comments) complaining about the review system etc. I you haven't figure it out by not this review system must go if we want to keep talented people. Easier said than done but seriously if WE don't do something to change this system and if it does not change by next year's review I think I am going to bail out and find other place to work, which it's probably a good thing for my well being but its also a shame that talented people like me are thinking of going somewhere else. I really want to see this place create awesome products but I can only take so much of this culture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-60378127562506667122012-07-24T00:14:32.650-07:002012-07-24T00:14:32.650-07:00OK, I am kindda getting bored here reading must of...OK, I am kindda getting bored here reading must of you (comments) complaining about the review system etc. I you haven't figure it out by not this review system must go if we want to keep talented people. Easier said than done but seriously if WE don't do something to change this system and if it does not change by next year's review I think I am going to bail out and find other place to work, which it's probably a good thing for my well being but its also a shame that talented people like me are thinking of going somewhere else. I really want to see this place create awesome products but I can only take so much of this culture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-68082741371303537122012-07-24T00:06:14.158-07:002012-07-24T00:06:14.158-07:00Where have all the kool-aid drinkers on this blog ...<i> Where have all the kool-aid drinkers on this blog gone? I remember a couple years ago that there were MS employees who vigorously defended the company, and flamed those who complained about the company as whiners and losers.</i><br /><br />Still here. Seems like the whiners and losers have been joined by racists. Adding that to the overall tune of "the grass is so much greener and more plentiful elsewhere" (which is by and large BS - was thinking about leaving, found a neat-sounding job and they liked me, but pulled back when I stated what I am making at MS @ Level64 - so at least pay can't be THAT bad), hardly worth reading the comments anymore. Not doubting that there are shitty managers that can make life miserable for you - at MS or elsewhere. <br /><br />That said - stack ranking isn't an issue really, but the forced curve, across all bands, feels very wrong.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-13643227662320094122012-07-23T22:27:22.998-07:002012-07-23T22:27:22.998-07:00"Guys, this is Kim. Lay off the Indians. Want...<i>"Guys, this is Kim. Lay off the Indians. Want to do better than them? Sharpen your skills. Almost all of them I have met are sharp as hell. Learn from them. Don't belittle them."</i><br /><br />Usually the guys you see picking on the Indian workers are the least educated parts of Microsoft's workforce -- the support guys, the IT guys, the lower level test guys. These were the same guys who were complaining about affirmative action 20 years ago, now they've moved on to H1Bs as the immediate threat. <br /><br />They always need a scapegoat because, let's face it, they're just not that portable and they can't easily find other jobs that pay what they're making at Microsoft. They'll do anything to keep their little kingdoms safe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-23188126277848547142012-07-23T21:22:45.231-07:002012-07-23T21:22:45.231-07:00Visibality comes into play in the stack rank. You...Visibality comes into play in the stack rank. You need other managers to support your plea for a good rating for your good people. I've seen really good performers get screwed over because other managers would not chime in and support a lofty review score. If you are in the top 20% hang out. Otherwise, find a better company. They are out there looking for good people. Peace out!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-29365781408528867312012-07-23T21:17:06.686-07:002012-07-23T21:17:06.686-07:00Two words in the English language I'm beginnin...Two words in the English language I'm beginning to loathe: visibility and proactive. Comes up in every single 1:1. Nothing about my technical aptitude, ability to deliver all the time, ability to work well and communicate with others, writing clean code, none of it matters, it seems. If I'm not "proactive" , (whatever that means) and don't have proper visibility, then I'm not doing well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-33880033455263902302012-07-23T19:18:36.400-07:002012-07-23T19:18:36.400-07:00Guys, this is Kim. Lay off the Indians. Want to ...Guys, this is Kim. Lay off the Indians. Want to do better than them? Sharpen your skills. Almost all of them I have met are sharp as hell. Learn from them. Don't belittle them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-24696803618378490632012-07-23T18:07:56.471-07:002012-07-23T18:07:56.471-07:00"Visibility" ... I hated that. Always h..."Visibility" ... I hated that. Always heard that in my reviews. It's really the manager that isn't doing his/her job. He/she should be telling all their peers that you are the greatest thing. However, managers aren't empowered; they're not willing to stick their necks out.Exnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-14377382323912505582012-07-23T17:01:12.177-07:002012-07-23T17:01:12.177-07:00$266 millions a year in dividends, taxed at only 1...$266 millions a year in dividends, taxed at only 15% (because our beloved job creators are worth it). That's $226 millions a year after taxes. Every second of every day (and night), your fearless leader earns as much as a a fast food worker gets for an hour of scrubbing toilets and cleaning burnt grease. No doubt there are pinko commies here who will scream "social justice" but let's face it, business acumen like that of Steve doesn't come cheap. It takes a special kind of individual to come up with ideas like the aQuantive acquisition or the Kin.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-82040406257223938172012-07-23T16:22:59.897-07:002012-07-23T16:22:59.897-07:00“…His most recent SEC Form 4 was filed back in Nov...“…His most recent SEC Form 4 was filed back in November 2010, showing that he's the proud owner of 333.3 million shares. <br />When you consider Microsoft's $0.80-per-share annual dividend, that means Ballmer rakes in $266.6 million annually in dividends alone thanks to his hefty stake in the software giant. <br />That also translates into just over $730,000 per day. So yeah, he's doing just fine….”<br /><br />http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/07/11/its-time-for-steve-ballmer-to-take-a-pay-cut.aspxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-15855283369161908982012-07-23T15:01:11.370-07:002012-07-23T15:01:11.370-07:00The current review system has been terrible since ...The current review system has been terrible since its inception in the fall of 2006. This is the corporate nanny state at its worst, with endless differentiation tests, distributions etc. Prior to 2006, there was a large-scale distribution curve, but no forced marginal / under-perform i.e. 2.5 as it was known then. Good managers would weed out people who were not up to par, they did not need to be forced to come up with a percentage to throw under the bus or into the volcano.<br /><br />Given the amount of airtime this topic continues to receive on this blog, the company is stupid not to get rid of itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-4656592410393551992012-07-23T14:15:13.624-07:002012-07-23T14:15:13.624-07:00Hey, managers, did they tell you to respond the sa...Hey, managers, did they tell you to respond the same way as last year, when a person asks what they can do to improve and earn a higher set of rewards in the stack rank, are you going to say again "Just keep doing what you're doing?" Or that the rank-slot you are assigned doesn't mean anything about your work, and that being average is good? What standard lines can we expect this year?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-57979974478383066232012-07-23T14:08:13.864-07:002012-07-23T14:08:13.864-07:00The stack rank is stupid, and is not a "ratin...The stack rank is stupid, and is not a "rating" system. Rating is like for food, where it is a caliber or quality that is either met, exceeded, or not met. Which is a good reason to have numbers like 1, 2, 3, but not a requirement to have allocated amounts of 4 or 5 rated things/people. It certainly doesn't make any sense when you apply them to high quality, high performance teams, where really it is more likely that you have all 1, possibly 2 rated people.<br /><br />Ranking: At another place, you earned your rating based on quality of performance, as in if you met all of your commitments with perhaps a little style or did even more, you got the top rating. RATING. If you did pretty good, you got the second one, like getting a B instead of an A in school. A C meant that you neeeded to do better, and anything else got put on a performance improvement plan, and looked at whether the person was in the wrong job, or needed training, that sort of thing. If you really sucked, you were sent on your way. <br /><br />We also did a ranking of all of the people in the group, but the purpose of this was separate and didn't affect rewards, it just sort of clarified who was most valuable and needed. As in "who can't we live without, from the top to the bottom". It was a good exercise, and sometimes after managers went through the ranking exercise, we went back and increased someone's rating, because this process had reminded us that they were so valuable to the team we didn't want to be without them. So that is where a ranking exercise is useful, but not for your entire performance review like we are now two years into. It's b.s., overall, and it doesn't allow for the concept that good hiring and good work would and should create some exemplary teams, where there are no 3/4/5 level people even present. Like graduate school, where a C grade means "not graduate level work" and you are invited to spend your time elsewhere if you get more than one or two C grades on your transcript. If the ranking system remains any longer, it should be used to fire the recruiter and hiring manager of anyone who gets slotted into the 5 position. Then you could give up the whole stupid bullshit ranking system all together, once your got rid of the piss-poor recruiters and managers who keep hiring the bottom of the barrel. Please, someone at the top of their org, just refuse to rank your people. Have the decency to say you won't play this stupid ranking game at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-86757369754566242032012-07-23T13:44:37.067-07:002012-07-23T13:44:37.067-07:00Former 'softie 5 years removed and have not sp...Former 'softie 5 years removed and have not spent much time looking back. First time on Mini's site in years and surprised by the lack of posts. <br /><br />I still work in IT enterprise software industry and I can say that Microsoft doesn't carry anywhere close to the same weight it once did. My company's software works on Win servers, Sun, RH, with DBs like SQL and Oracle, and we get far more enterprise customers using non-Microsoft solutions these days. Just cheaper and fewer unknowns. <br /><br />The stack rank implementation is half the problem, definitely. But stack ranks are used in the military very successfully. It is the way they are used and the culture that surrounds them there. At my current job, no stacking and very little internal competition it seems. So you be the judge.<br /><br />Lastly, first mover advantage is the current name of the game in this industry. Apple has it. Microsoft doesn't and coming to the table now with Surface and Win8 phones, just a waste of money. Focus on INTEGRATION of core business suites. The rest is a waste of resources, IMHO.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-40450604788500057672012-07-23T13:11:14.344-07:002012-07-23T13:11:14.344-07:00I am an Indian and I understand where you are comi...I am an Indian and I understand where you are coming from.<br /><br />Fact of the matter is that Indians know how to "Play the Game". Todays' Microsoft is all about "Playing the Game" put two and two together. Majority of Indians are hard-working and most of them do not indulge in politics. But the once who do are the masters and they give bad name to the whole Indian community.<br /><br />But the problem is not with Indians. They problem is with the Microsoft culture that promotes "Playing Game". Fix that and your problem will be solved.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com