tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post6211269154693378993..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Microsoft Has Turned The CornerWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-86045937772207581042009-09-16T14:30:34.479-07:002009-09-16T14:30:34.479-07:00I can't really get a lock on a name for the me...I can't really get a lock on a name for the mentality.<br /><br />But no corner is turned here. Microsoft still resorts to these enormous and cumbersome handles to refer to their problems.<br /><br />You can't admit to screwing up and be to the point of looking back on it in one step. You've skipped the entire "learning from your mistake" phase.<br /><br />Slow down and stop trying to save face. It's the #1 source of your mistakes!omegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16641415402364726961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-80417276079223760222009-08-05T13:50:58.898-07:002009-08-05T13:50:58.898-07:00Perhaps Microsoft has turned a corner, just rememb...Perhaps Microsoft has turned a corner, just remember if you turn three more you are back where you started.<br />The challenge ahead is that the growth for the high profit margin products is limited. <br />In marketing you have the following options:<br />New products to new customers (lots of growth hard sale)<br />New products to existing customers (good growth, easy selling)<br />Existing products to new customers (marginal growth - very hard for MSFT, there are not a lot of new customers for the current products)<br />Exisiting products to existing customers (new releases - no real growth just selling the same to same).<br />All the products mini is talking about are existing ones in new packages. That is not going to get you a lot of growth and it not the corner you really wanted to turn.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-53034638848243302752009-07-30T12:54:49.361-07:002009-07-30T12:54:49.361-07:00Always interesting to read comments here that are ...Always interesting to read comments here that are critical of the MS strategy in search when it is clear the vast majority of our employee population doesnt get it and (wrongly) focuses on search results and the current state of the search experience as the "strategy".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-43945232025230027992009-07-30T09:39:27.273-07:002009-07-30T09:39:27.273-07:00PM heavy to say the least! The Admins take on more...PM heavy to say the least! The Admins take on more logistic handling, timeline juggling, dev motivating tasks then the PM. I'm sorry but still too much time spent in meetings and too many redundant reports. I love Microsoft, still a diehard fan which is why the last 5 years has been a major tug on my heart strings. Mini, love your work keep it up!lalitahttp://lalita.bondageradio.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-70710465185767979612009-07-26T19:32:12.961-07:002009-07-26T19:32:12.961-07:00MSFT should prove it in the 2010 results. FY09 re...MSFT should prove it in the 2010 results. FY09 results are disastrous, worse then any tech company of this size.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-30806940661348940872009-07-26T04:18:25.272-07:002009-07-26T04:18:25.272-07:00As an outsider with a vested interest (you don'...As an outsider with a vested interest (you don't want my list of Microsoft certifications and the systems I've supported in the last 15 years), the biggest problem with Microsoft, in my opinion, is the absolute lack of brand cohesion.<br /><br />Ignore Google. Who cares if Google is becoming the "new" Microsoft?<br /><br />Microsoft is spread too thin in too many markets. It's making the company too fat and straying the company away from real innovation and change and, for the average consumer, they see a lot of things with a Microsoft name but they don't see where they all fit in. There's no "grand scheme".<br /><br />Ditch Bing. Microsoft's track record in the search engine market has been absolutely dismal. Pepping it up (again) and giving it a new name (again) isn't going to magically make it better.<br /><br />Sorry Zune owners, but Microsoft needs to either ditch Zune or let it 'hacker' friendly to push units which people put third-party software on. The Zune is just one of many media players on the market and Microsoft was betting on their brand name catapulting it to near-iPod levels of success. It didn't happen and it's not going to happen. Stop pouring money into that sieve.<br /><br />Xbox: As an Xbox owner, I'll say this is the one Microsoft brand I will defend as vehemently as an Apple fanboy. However, fire the people who designed the 360 because they've cost you billions. Redesign a new 360 with less hardware failures. Get the Xbox "house" in order so hardware problems don't continue to drain your resources.<br /><br />WinMo: No point anymore. Get rid of it.<br /><br />Microsoft Stores: Nix this idea before it even starts. Do you realize how much money this is going to suck out of Microsoft to lease retail locations, contract with OEMs to display product, hire local employees, supply inventory, pay real estate utility bills and taxes...<br /><br />Windows 7 is not going to be the panacea many think it's going to be. The company I work for has already decided to wait a year, possibly two, before moving from XP Pro to Seven. I know we're not the only ones to make such a decision. Frankly, 7 is much like Vista, glitz and glam with little innovation in the substance, and a lot of that glitz and glam confuses the average user.<br /><br />Microsoft really needs to get back to its roots (to an extent) and focus on "turning the corner" by addressing anti-Microsoft sentiment within the big three money makers: Windows, Server, and Office.<br /><br />By cutting a lot of these failed experiments out and properly fixing the Xbox 360 failure problems, Microsoft can recoup a lot of money and get back to basics. Then, and only then, will they be free to actually start INNOVATING again.Nydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16454154383642802208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-39673585038837792782009-07-24T15:19:47.356-07:002009-07-24T15:19:47.356-07:00what, did mini get promoted? no, ms hasn't tur...what, did mini get promoted? no, ms hasn't turned the corner. just go play that carol bartz f-bomb video on product managers and developers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-27480410936623153602009-07-23T23:30:17.258-07:002009-07-23T23:30:17.258-07:00Windows 7 will shake up the industry! be sure to c...Windows 7 will shake up the industry! be sure to check out NDF, the most amazing feature in Win7 @@Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-2320647551286366032009-07-22T22:05:34.948-07:002009-07-22T22:05:34.948-07:00"But Microsoft is a club of old farts trying ..."But Microsoft is a club of old farts trying to stay marginally relevant, hence only a refuge for the desperate and marginally employable."<br /><br />Couldn't agree with you more. Very true at least India Area Sub!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-36882966921214439702009-07-22T12:55:21.896-07:002009-07-22T12:55:21.896-07:00The "it's not personal, it's just bus...<i>The "it's not personal, it's just business" line that is often repeated in times of layoffs is pure BS. It is ALWAYS personal. It was personal when they told you that you had to "own" your job. It was personal when you spent your evenings at work to meet a deadline, forgoing time with your family.</i> .<br />.<br />No, they just tricked you into thinking it was personal. I admit, it IS deceptive on their part. They flatter you, say you're the best of the best, give you a bunch of benefits, tell you you're doing critical/important work, etc. Ultimately the company's loyalty to you (or the community) is not an official priority for anyone--not your lead, not your manager, not the executives, not the shareholders, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-63922633960954279492009-07-22T11:55:41.233-07:002009-07-22T11:55:41.233-07:00Actually you are the one ignorant of the facts. As...<i>Actually you are the one ignorant of the facts. As for 'contractors require no health insurance' is a crock of shit. Independent contractors or agency contractors all get health insurance in some ways and it is built into the rate that MS pays.</i><br />WRONG. Get your facts first before posting. Contractors can choose whether they want the health insurance offered by the agency or not. You get a higher pay rate if you don't choose what the agency is offering as far as health benefits, and other benefits for that matter. You can get health insurance on your own outside if you choose to do so or just be one of the 40-plus million uninsured folks out there in the country.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-32197505978052129002009-07-22T11:14:16.527-07:002009-07-22T11:14:16.527-07:00"First of all, as anyone who has ever tried t...<i>"First of all, as anyone who has ever tried to fire someone at Microsoft can tell you, the process is a massive pain in the ass and takes a long time and a lot of work unless something illegal has happened."<br /><br />I understant you are one of those hypocritical managers in Microsoft. Was it a massive pain for you or for the person whom you have fired? I am not going to redescribe all those firing ( either performance pruning or layoff) by Microsoft which was an agonising experience for the employee.</i><br /><br />You need to take a step back from personal experience.<br /><br />I've fired good people who simply didn't have the right skills to succeed -- which is painful for everyone involved -- and I've fired bad people who, upon finally ridding the company of their malignant presence, caused me to go celebrate. How I feel about each circumstance is different, but it's always difficult.<br /><br />What's the same in every case of firing someone -- with the one exception of the guy who was stealing lab equipment and selling it VIA THE OLD MICRONEWS, for chrissakes -- is that terminating employment at Microsoft is a long and difficult process for everyone involved that doesn't happen over night or on a whim.<br /><br />Layoffs are not the same as firing someone -- they happen in large numbers and the decisions are made at a much higher level. Layoffs feel like being fired to the person on the receiving end, but there's very little that individual managers can do to exert any influence on that process and so, from the manager perspective, it's nothing like firing someone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-56346951933026167742009-07-22T10:46:39.234-07:002009-07-22T10:46:39.234-07:00"At Will Employment" works perfectly in ..."At Will Employment" works perfectly in the right setting but it does put more ownership and accountibility on the manager to actually do thier job and be competent in order to be a successful employment approach. We all know most front line maangers at MS are woefully inexperienced and largely unprepared to manage people initially and unsupported over time with mentors or training so the problem just continues to be exasorbated. MS continues to resist measuring people management in a meaningful way that impacts annual rewards for managers so there is no real driver for improvement. IC contributions even for managers are generally the focus in annual review for front line managers and small team managers so it is no mystery why people management gets little attention by those managers which is where it has the most impact. <br /><br />Furthermore, the Management Excellence inititive is a joke which is an excellent indicator of the overall people management priority within MS despite some flavor of "people" being a #1 priority and commitment for almost every VP. It is not neccisarily the fault of the MELT but three years in, there really is no solid exec sponsorship to drive improved management across MS other than marching to the Poll numbers which are not indicative of anything "real". The exec leadership role for Talent Mgmt is a revoling door on the way to other priorities in the company and the MELT is struggling to maintain active membership past a core group of 15-20 people in part because there is no meaningful reward or recognition for managers to devote hours to that effort in leiu of their day job. Not to mention a number of the past core MELT managers were recently laid off, fired or removed from management back into IC roles... that is an interesting message to say the least. I feel for the folks in HR who are driving this as their primary day job... it must be a tedious job given the clarity around its lack of support broadly at MS.<br /><br />of note, this is not unique to MS... almost all companies have this same problem so it is not a MS specific problem but one that if we chose to invest in, the return would be exponential but I think our current SLT has a hard time understanding that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-64608459432664473762009-07-22T08:49:58.665-07:002009-07-22T08:49:58.665-07:00"Why can't Microsoft become leaner and mo..."Why can't Microsoft become leaner and more creative by changing its behavior and priorities?"<br /><br />Because it hasn't in ten years despite the increasingly obvious need to.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-65953425762052455092009-07-22T07:29:51.730-07:002009-07-22T07:29:51.730-07:00"Please don't offer uninformed opinions a..."Please don't offer uninformed opinions as facts -- you don't know what you're talking about.<br /><br />First of all, as anyone who has ever tried to fire someone at Microsoft can tell you, the process is a massive pain in the ass and takes a long time and a lot of work unless something illegal has happened. If I have a contractor I can't stand, however -- I call the agency and they don't come back the next day.<br /><br />"At will" employment is great for the employee, but a myth for a company like Microsoft that regularly gets sued for wrongful termination. We are very careful about how we terminate people and it's not a simple process.<br /><br />As for total cost of FTE vs. contingent -- the cost of a fully burdened FTE head at Microsoft is more than the cost of a contractor (including all benefits, stock, bonuses, etc.) in most cases, especially if you're only using the contractor for a 6 or 9 months. You can also bring people in with domain skills you need but who might not meet the bar for long-term hire potential."<br /><br />Boy who got up on the wrong side of the bed?<br /><br />a) You are confusing "contractor" and "contract". And having been in the situation of dealing with v- performance issues it is nowhere near as simple as you state.<br />b) You can fire an employee any time you like. You should engage HR first but are not required to do so.<br />c) Suing for wrongful termination is much narrower than the paranoid think. Either the employee needs to have been discriminated against i.e. being a member of a 'protected class' or dismissed in retaliation for say being a whistleblower. The former is next to impossible to prove unless the firing manager is a complete moron.<br />d) Contractor costs vs. FTE costs are not that far apart. Finance uses a $155k annual figure for FTE costs. Any contractor billing $80+ per hour costs more than that.<br /><br />As for 'spouting uninformed nonsense' I will leave the ad hominem without retort, and instead tell you that my nonsense is very well informed indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-28357663464742294472009-07-22T06:05:56.772-07:002009-07-22T06:05:56.772-07:00"what is the typical bonus an exceeded 20% ge..."what is the typical bonus an exceeded 20% get? 6%, 10% of your salary?<br /><br />Minimum of 15%."<br /><br />Depends on your organization. It's 12.5% in MCS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-8547421179553012412009-07-22T04:26:58.421-07:002009-07-22T04:26:58.421-07:00First of all, as anyone who has ever tried to fire...<i>First of all, as anyone who has ever tried to fire someone at Microsoft can tell you, the process is a massive pain in the ass and takes a long time and a lot of work unless something illegal has happened. </i><br /><br />I understant you are one of those hypocritical managers in Microsoft. Was it a massive pain for you or for the person whom you have fired? I am not going to redescribe all those firing ( either performance pruning or layoff) by Microsoft which was an agonising experience for the employee. <br /><br /><i>"At will" employment is great for the employee, but a myth for a company like Microsoft that regularly gets sued for wrongful termination.</i><br /><br /><br />Microsoft have recently fired lots of employee without any notice and in the final meeting both the HR and the manager showed this "At Will" excuse. But I think most of them would do the inverse. Before moving on to another offer they would actually spend some time with his team based on the business needs. But Microsoft executed these firing very clumsily and as a consequence many people found themselves in a quandary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-75156176747447703152009-07-21T23:20:26.683-07:002009-07-21T23:20:26.683-07:00do leads get paid more than ICs at the same level?...<i>do leads get paid more than ICs at the same level?</i><br /><br />No.<br /><br /><i>what is the typical bonus an exceeded 20% get? 6%, 10% of your salary?</i><br /><br />Minimum of 15%.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-31628998209798414692009-07-21T22:49:38.981-07:002009-07-21T22:49:38.981-07:00I'm sick of people saying this stuff isn't...<i>I'm sick of people saying this stuff isn't personal, and it is not the business of Microsoft to give people jobs.</i><br><br /><br />The "it's not personal, it's just business" line that is often repeated in times of layoffs is pure BS. It is ALWAYS personal. It was personal when they told you that you had to "own" your job. It was personal when you spent your evenings at work to meet a deadline, forgoing time with your family.<br />So if it was personal all that time that you worked for them, it sure is personal when they lay you off and screw you out of your upcoming stock award, killing your kids' chance at a college education in the process.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-68142384164691540322009-07-21T18:58:37.030-07:002009-07-21T18:58:37.030-07:00"The quality of available vendors and contrac..."The quality of available vendors and contractors in the area seems to have really dropped off over the last few years. Don't know why, since there should be a lot of people that have been laid off from other jobs."<br /><br />Funny I would say the same thing about FTEs. To be fair I don't know why either, but as usual I have some ideas:<br /><br />- retarded interviewing and hiring practices, which emphasize MACH at the expense of hiring people who transcend college grades, and approach hiring as a collective decision rather than holding the hiring manager accountable<br />- poor grasp of customer issues and how hiring the right people might address those<br />- internal listening systems that would capture the real world experiences of new hires<br /><br />But mostly it is the fact that we are no longer cool. Apple is cool, Google is cool, maybe Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are cool. But Microsoft is a club of old farts trying to stay marginally relevant, hence only a refuge for the desperate and marginally employable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-504592518685300702009-07-21T17:03:53.471-07:002009-07-21T17:03:53.471-07:00I don't know, Mini. Something about your lack ...I don't know, Mini. Something about your lack of compassion for people, both still employed (I now have more than twice the work due to the layoffs) and who've lost their jobs just makes me question your overall judgment. Dumping fifteen thousand more desperate technical employees into an already shaky local economy amidst all the other bloodletting going on would turn Seattle into the Flint Michigan of high tech. Not exactly a recipe to retain the high quality of life here that attracts so many smart, desirable employees to MS in the first place.<br /><br />I'm sick of people saying this stuff isn't personal, and it is not the business of Microsoft to give people jobs. It's more complicated than that. Why do we want to strike a massive blow to consumer confidence and community integrity just so we can work fewer people harder without changing our sluggish corporate culture? Why can't Microsoft become leaner and more creative by changing its behavior and priorities? Fewer wasteful meetings and habitual bureaucracy, more focus on fostering creativity and producing results? Why have we been doing everything the same way for 10 years? Why aren't there more options for people to earn less and work less (flex time?) Why is wrecking people's lives and firing thousands the first answer you can come up with?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-80285764479853294922009-07-21T13:10:03.215-07:002009-07-21T13:10:03.215-07:00In India SMSG - Many Managers and Directors have b...In India SMSG - Many Managers and Directors have been instructed to take up IC roles. The ex-EPG GM's hand picked Directors have been given redundant roles. Some of the "fastrack Directors" (those who could strike a deal too fast with their managers for promotion) like HD have been given new lease of life. The Flambouyant Neeraj Dotel - who announced his exit from MS to all partners and customers has been shown door by many employers (including Oracle) has "decided to stay back" in his ex-role as BFSI Sales Manager (managing fewer Accounts than before).Probably to save Microsort India from Devastation:)))). Heard last - he is working hard on giving up Alcohol and reaching work on time. Nitin Mirchandani - the guy who is still wondering why he got "Circle of Excellence' last year, who has seldom faced the customer - has become an ATU lead :))))))<br /><br />All a**-lickers have been relocated and given portfolio requested for.<br /><br />1. Is it just in India or does sycophancy work well in other regions as well...<br /><br />While Mini's poster reads "Microsoft has Turned the Corner" Here in India we are working two steps ahead - " Creating Tsunami for Future"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-20091577810757769172009-07-21T00:18:31.402-07:002009-07-21T00:18:31.402-07:00"Actually you are the one ignorant of the fac...<i>"Actually you are the one ignorant of the facts. Employees can be fired at any time, for any reason or no reason. Employees can equally quit at any time with or without notice. Hence the term 'at will employment'. Contractors on the other hand have an employment contract which specifies the rights and obligations of each party. <br /><br />There is no actual financial advantage, in fact quite the contrary, to employing v- as compared with FTE. But it looks good to Wall Street! You remember them don't you ... the same sage ones who led us into the global financial meltdown ... OY why do we listen to these schmucks?"</i><br /><br />Please don't offer uninformed opinions as facts -- you don't know what you're talking about.<br /><br />First of all, as anyone who has ever tried to fire someone at Microsoft can tell you, the process is a massive pain in the ass and takes a long time and a lot of work unless something illegal has happened. If I have a contractor I can't stand, however -- I call the agency and they don't come back the next day.<br /><br />"At will" employment is great for the employee, but a myth for a company like Microsoft that regularly gets sued for wrongful termination. We are very careful about how we terminate people and it's not a simple process.<br /><br />As for total cost of FTE vs. contingent -- the cost of a fully burdened FTE head at Microsoft is more than the cost of a contractor (including all benefits, stock, bonuses, etc.) in most cases, especially if you're only using the contractor for a 6 or 9 months. You can also bring people in with domain skills you need but who might not meet the bar for long-term hire potential.<br /><br />So again, please don't spout off a bunch of nonsense and claim that it's a fact.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-48458809547422310902009-07-20T20:56:03.144-07:002009-07-20T20:56:03.144-07:00"Microsoft Has Turned The Corner"
Good...."Microsoft Has Turned The Corner"<br /><br />Good. But the industry and customers didn't wait around. If this had occurred five years ago, MS might have retaken leadership. But technology and business models have now permanently shifted in ways that are detrimental to MS's incumbent positions. And Apple and Google have become too well positioned and too strong financially in this new world to be caught and passed. <br /><br />Turning the corner late is still better than not. But MS's golden years are definitely behind it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-18901365570036990502009-07-20T20:37:39.116-07:002009-07-20T20:37:39.116-07:00There was an ignorant poster asking why contractor...<i>There was an ignorant poster asking why contractors and no FTE? Contracts are easy to fire and require no health insurance. Try to understand how much you cost for your company in terms of all the perks, benefits, free towels, sodas, gym membership, etc. </i><br /><br />The contract agencies get an incredible amount of money per person. There's not as much of a difference as you'd expect, and you give up a lot. Contractors are able to take advantage of some of the perks that FTE's get.<br /><br />In cases where the project cycle is longer than 1 year, most projects would be better off getting a qualified FTE or a vendor to do the work.<br /><br />The quality of available vendors and contractors in the area seems to have really dropped off over the last few years. Don't know why, since there should be a lot of people that have been laid off from other jobs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com