tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post111880934352774651..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Arrogant in RedmondWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136358724182882912006-01-03T23:12:00.000-08:002006-01-03T23:12:00.000-08:00you read my mind.you read my mind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1127601191167704542005-09-24T15:33:00.000-07:002005-09-24T15:33:00.000-07:00MSFT is the definition of arrogance. Having worked...MSFT is the definition of arrogance. Having worked there for five years in the Windows division I know for a fact that most of the arrogance is undeserved. I did more than any 10 people I worked with but because of politics, I was forced to the bottom of the bell curve. <BR/>At athe same time, bums who embraced their managers sphincters were allowed to make a mess of everything they touched.<BR/><BR/>And as far as BillG, he is the most arrogant person ever. I saw him several times at B43\44 and I <B> never saw him speak to an employee he passed</B>.<BR/><BR/>WTF?<BR/><BR/>More people should leave and see how well these execs do without them. Trckle down only works when there's someone willing to be at the bottom.Christian H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119255534326243532005-06-20T01:18:00.000-07:002005-06-20T01:18:00.000-07:00Great topic and even better responses (gee thanks ...Great topic and even better responses (gee thanks Scoble).<BR/><BR/>>Arrogance and lack of manners are <BR/>>so embedded in the culture that <BR/>>they've become normal.<BR/><BR/>I totally agree with above comment. Its really a cultural thing at microsoft. You pretty much <I>had</I> to be that way to stomp your way to the top of the ranks and so it was encouraged in a way. I guess they're trying to change that with all the hr/mgr tranings that have been introduced but its too ingrained in the culture.<BR/><BR/>And then, of course we have major LCA/HR fuck-ups like <A HREF="http://www.buchtelite.com/2005/0317/news_03.shtml" REL="nofollow"> this</A> which doesn't help our image. Oh, don't forget, the DoJ crap will haunt us forever. I mean, it was bad enough to be charged with violating antitrust laws and then you had senior execs <A HREF="http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/02/08/allchin_takes_a_beating_over" REL="nofollow"> flub</A> on the stand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119120878844468212005-06-18T11:54:00.000-07:002005-06-18T11:54:00.000-07:00I agree with that. And sorry for my responses here...<I>I agree with that. And sorry for my responses here.</I><BR/><BR/>Robert,<BR/>Well, actually I should apologize. My comments above were too harsh. I do recognize PR as being necessary, even if it makes me a bit quesy sometimes. And Channel 9 is nothing to scoff at. It just seems to me that MS is focusing more on external image these days and not enough on improving the product itself. Either way, that's not your fault and I shouldn't have tried to bash you for it. I'm sorry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119117233903728682005-06-18T10:53:00.000-07:002005-06-18T10:53:00.000-07:00::I have a ton of emails from folks like you beggi...::I have a ton of emails from folks like you begging me to "talk" about your products, both on my blog and/or Channel 9.::<BR/><BR/>man i thought pr at my company were jerks - you win robert!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119055486067358032005-06-17T17:44:00.000-07:002005-06-17T17:44:00.000-07:00Read Joel's response Scoble, it's exactly what we ...Read Joel's response Scoble, it's exactly what we need!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119038654804257602005-06-17T13:04:00.000-07:002005-06-17T13:04:00.000-07:00> So while "cheerleader" may not be the most chari...> So while "cheerleader" may not be the most charitable interpretation of your job, it is at the end of the day a support function to the the company's core deliverable.<BR/><BR/>I agree with that. And sorry for my responses here. I came across like an arrogant jerk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119036082347566842005-06-17T12:21:00.000-07:002005-06-17T12:21:00.000-07:00"You do work on a team that's shipping something s..."You do work on a team that's shipping something soon, right?"<BR/><BR/>Are any of MS's core teams shipping product these days? I thought they were mostly talking about how great everything was going to be while defending the most recent delays. Indeed, the only person shipping anything seems to be MSN and that's mostly me-too utilities aimed at keeping MSFT only years behind everyone else vs say decades. BTW Scoble, you should really end this thread. At the end of the day MSFT is a software factory (well, an apparently broken factory but a factory nonetheless). Ergo, all other departments while necessary, are in a supporting role. So while "cheerleader" may not be the most charitable interpretation of your job, it is at the end of the day a support function to the the company's core deliverable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119033875972293672005-06-17T11:44:00.000-07:002005-06-17T11:44:00.000-07:00>We produce, you just cheerlead.Are you on the Lon...>We produce, you just cheerlead.<BR/><BR/>Are you on the Longhorn team? Or the start.com team? Just wanna know.<BR/><BR/>And, how will people learn about your work? I know how. I have a ton of emails from folks like you begging me to "talk" about your products, both on my blog and/or Channel 9.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure that you won't be a jerk when you need some PR for your products that you supposedly work so hard to "ship." You do work on a team that's shipping something soon, right?<BR/><BR/>Why don't you come out and use your name so we can judge whether you really are productive. My daily work goes on the home page of http://channel9.msdn.com.<BR/><BR/>Where's yours?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119032525595155242005-06-17T11:22:00.000-07:002005-06-17T11:22:00.000-07:00No other Microsoft employee has had a full page of...<I>No other Microsoft employee has had a full page of positive press in the Economist this year. Just one of dozens of such articles I've gotten the company this year.</I><BR/><BR/>You know, that comment fits perfectly under the heading of "Arrogant in Redmond". Besides, we all know that articles about Microsoft means better products!<BR/><BR/><I>And, ask Eric Schmidt of Google which Microsoft employee he most likes. I got a personal invite to Google's private conference. No other Microsoft employee did.</I><BR/><BR/>Gee Scoble, Schmidt thinks you're a swell guy. You're his bestest pal. That's great! Let me know how this translates into more innovative products and increases profits. While you trot around to conferences and talk and talk and talk, the rest of us are actually doing the work that generates the revenue that pays your salary so you can talk and talk and talk. You are confusing "popularity" with "productivity".<BR/><BR/><I>I'm working to make Microsoft a better company. What are you doing?</I><BR/><BR/>The same thing all the other "unknowns" at MS that don't get articles written about them are doing - creating products that millions of people use. We produce, you just cheerlead.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119022199655794132005-06-17T08:29:00.000-07:002005-06-17T08:29:00.000-07:00"I've advocated splitting up the company, and I st..."I've advocated splitting up the company, and I still hold that belief.<BR/><BR/>That isn't something that's "safe."<BR/><BR/>You've done lots of good things and generated a decent % of what little positive press MSFT has recieved. On the other hand, why is something as simple as trying to talk to customers so noteworthy? Or improving cusat? Why can't the entire company admit candidly when it's wrong? Why do Gates and Ballmer to this day still routinely belittle GOOG/AAPL/publicly when those folks are clearly outexecuting MSFT? Why is lobbying for splitting up the company unsafe when mgt owes it to shareholders to review whether doing so would improve execution and unlock value? Answer: at the end of the day, MSFT runs as Gates and Ballmer's personaly fiefdom. That isn't going to change with just pressure from the inside. It's going to change when external shareholders start holding them to account for the sorry state of the stock. In that regard, Mini has generated far more press about MSFT's many problems and for the first time imo, shareholders are finally starting to see through the bullshit "all is well" that they get once a year at the annual shareholder meeting. You watch how fast change comes when shareholders (the true owners of the company) start applying real pressure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1119003718871914892005-06-17T03:21:00.000-07:002005-06-17T03:21:00.000-07:00>The only time Scoble is critical of anything is w...>The only time Scoble is critical of anything is when it is "safe". <BR/><BR/>Really? Hmmm. Maybe you should check again what is "safe." I've advocated splitting up the company, and I still hold that belief.<BR/><BR/>That isn't something that's "safe."<BR/><BR/>Also, you should check into some of the things we have been changing. Like customer satisfaction. The numbers +are+ moving for the first time in years (in a positive direction). Look at the customer sat numbers for Channel 9, for instance (sorry, can't share publicly). They are dramatic. And high.<BR/><BR/>And, ask Eric Schmidt of Google which Microsoft employee he most likes. I got a personal invite to Google's private conference. No other Microsoft employee did.<BR/><BR/>No other Microsoft employee has had a full page of positive press in the Economist this year. Just one of dozens of such articles I've gotten the company this year.<BR/><BR/>But, go on taking potshots. I'm working to make Microsoft a better company. What are you doing?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118992975646317842005-06-17T00:22:00.000-07:002005-06-17T00:22:00.000-07:00"So what do you think the action items are to deal..."So what do you think the action items are to deal with Microsoft's ever present arrogance problem is?"<BR/><BR/>This goes beyond Bill and Steve. I am sick of seating in meetings with people that are literaly messaging on their phones or doing email on their laptops directly in front of the presenter because they are too important. Arrogance and lack of manners are so embedded in the culture that they've become normal. No one notice them anymore and that is exactly what the company reflects to our customers and to the world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118989230645901742005-06-16T23:20:00.000-07:002005-06-16T23:20:00.000-07:00"The only time Scoble is critical of anything is w..."The only time Scoble is critical of anything is when it is "safe"."<BR/><BR/>Criticizing Ballmer's handling of the gay rights bill qualified as taking a risk atleast imo. But I accept your point that he normally takes a pretty PC line. Then again, he has to - they know who he is.<BR/><BR/>"As a shareholder, I hope you aren't using Scoble as any sort of gauge of what is actually happening at MS"<BR/><BR/>No, the fact that MSFT is currently embroiled in a world-class cluster fuck has been sufficiently obvious from the 3+ years of dramatic stock underperformance and the massive ongoing volume of insider selling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118985343242093482005-06-16T22:15:00.000-07:002005-06-16T22:15:00.000-07:00you take different tacks but both of you in your o...<I>you take different tacks but both of you in your own way are applying pressure for change</I><BR/><BR/>I really gotta disagree with you here. Scoble doesn't *do* anything. He touts products, he over-exaggerates about things _other_ people are doing, he makes excuses for unpopular management decisions, and he talks a whole helluva lot. But he actually doesn't *do* anything to help improve MS. He doesn't ship product...he doesn't increase sales...he doesn't help improve quality...he talks. And he talks, and then he talks some more. And then, he talks about his talking and talks about other people that might be talking about him. He's nothing more than an extension of marketing. The only time Scoble is critical of anything is when it is "safe". As a shareholder, I hope you aren't using Scoble as any sort of gauge of what is actually happening at MS...unless you are just checking to see if we have tons of cash still lying around to hire people to talk a lot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118984844518428002005-06-16T22:07:00.000-07:002005-06-16T22:07:00.000-07:00Poor Mini-MSFT, clinging to his anonymity not real...Poor Mini-MSFT, clinging to his anonymity not realizing how fragile it truly is. <BR/><BR/>Let me introduce the concept of forensic stylistics. (Google it). I wonder how many linguistics people MS have in MSR? How much internal documentation, emails etc, is available for comparison?<BR/><BR/>Microsophist obviously wasn't able to stay anonymous. Mini-MSFT is obviously far smarter, but I don't stay anon much longer.<BR/><BR/>In case of a sudden 404 a comments mirror would be awesome...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118976807278812422005-06-16T19:53:00.001-07:002005-06-16T19:53:00.001-07:00"Robert Scoble said... RE: Scoble a blowhard.Heh!M..."Robert Scoble said... <BR/>RE: Scoble a blowhard.<BR/><BR/>Heh!<BR/><BR/>Microsoft can be changed from inside"<BR/><BR/><BR/>FWIW, I'm a disgusted shareholder and therefore happy for both you and Mini. Sure, you take different tacks but both of you in your own way are applying pressure for change - which given the current performance of the company and stock should be self-evident but obviously isn't to those in charge. Indeed, I'm sick and tired of hearing Ballmer and Gates talk as if all is well in MSFT land when shareholders have lost more than Enron and Worldcom combined, the stock continues to badly lag the market and flagship products have gestation periods of 5 years or more while competitors release in near internet time. While I'm ranting though, even you Scoble (since I read your blog today) need to remember that the company is owned primarily by non-employee shareholders. So while employees may get no-risk grants (and all the other things you rightly pointed out today), shareholders are not going to continue footing the bill for no return. And at this point, they're flat over EIGHT years. That situation had better get resolved or shareholders are going to bail in earnest - in which case the debate about a smaller Microsoft will resolve itself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118976790996887952005-06-16T19:53:00.000-07:002005-06-16T19:53:00.000-07:00Microsoft can be changed from inside. *sniff* *sni...<I>Microsoft can be changed from inside. </I><BR/><BR/>*sniff* *sniff* Just what I thought...Scoble stopping by to drop off his usual pile of PR.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118973036349449892005-06-16T18:50:00.000-07:002005-06-16T18:50:00.000-07:00RE: Scoble a blowhard.Heh!Microsoft can be changed...RE: Scoble a blowhard.<BR/><BR/>Heh!<BR/><BR/>Microsoft can be changed from inside. Read this: http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2005/06/16.html#a10416<BR/><BR/>It will warm Mini-Microsoft's heart.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118963394662914072005-06-16T16:09:00.000-07:002005-06-16T16:09:00.000-07:00" The problems isn't internal to us, it's with sch..." The problems isn't internal to us, it's with schools."<BR/><BR/>Did your school teach you proper English grammar? Plural subject ("problems") requires plural verbs (are, not "is"). And "internal to us" is redundant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118936845508224312005-06-16T08:47:00.000-07:002005-06-16T08:47:00.000-07:00"The problems isn't internal to us, it's with scho..."The problems isn't internal to us, it's with schools. The people I interview are dumb (sorry 2nd poster but it's true) and unimaginative."<BR/><BR/>Thx for confirming the arrogance charge. BTW, the people you interview being dumb doesn't in itself support your conclusion that it's the school's fault. It could be any number of things including your recruiters doing a poor job, the lesser appeal of MSFT these days, or your own fucked up perceptions. It's perhaps also worth noting that many of your competitors are seemingly having little problem finding tons of "smart" people or at least folks capable of out thinking and out executing MSFT (can you say GOOG, YHOO, AAPL, CRM, etc. etc?). But maybe you guys are too busy ruminating on what big brains you have...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118886121264402602005-06-15T18:42:00.000-07:002005-06-15T18:42:00.000-07:00The problems isn't internal to us, it's with schoo...The problems isn't internal to us, it's with schools. The people I interview are dumb (sorry 2nd poster but it's true) and unimaginative.<BR/><BR/>I'm all for real meritocracy. Regular team reviews as well sa personal reviews and generally a 360 approach to reviewing, with lots of churn <g>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118861726668318842005-06-15T11:55:00.000-07:002005-06-15T11:55:00.000-07:00It would be a cold day in hell when I would consid...It would be a cold day in hell when I would consider working for Microsoft. Or I would have to be starving or something. <BR/><BR/>Microsoft, you've screwed developers one too many times. Good luck hiring us now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118858784143179242005-06-15T11:06:00.000-07:002005-06-15T11:06:00.000-07:00"The best thing that can happen for MS right now w..."The best thing that can happen for MS right now would be for both Balmer and Gates to retire."<BR/><BR/>Agree. I read an interview the other day in which Ballmer said LH would be big (I think he meant impact since larger in size is a given) but unlikely to match Win95 for excitement because the sun/win/moon aligned for the latter and the action then was all on the client. WTF? Can you even IMAGINE the head of Toyota [insert any other mfg] saying "well, the new model is going to be big but you know, we'll probably never equal our '86 Corolla". Jesus H Christ the ENTIRE goal of the Windows team should be to not only equal the Win95 buzz but to exceed it. Otherwise, why bother and why expect anyone to buy it? And as regards the "action" having migrated from the desktop to the web, the apps may have migrated but the majority of users are still at their PC waiting to be impressed - if not by MSFT, then by others. Unfortunately, Ballmer and Gates seemingly can't get their heads out of their collective asses and embrace a world made up of information consumers vs simply PCs. Time for someone who can "THINK DIFFERENT" and do a better job of serving the former by finding more innovative ways of using/feeding the latter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1118857550940887332005-06-15T10:45:00.000-07:002005-06-15T10:45:00.000-07:00"So what do you think the action items are to deal..."So what do you think the action items are to deal with Microsoft's ever present arrogance problem is?"<BR/><BR/>Take a look at the stock price and performance over the past five years? That should bring some humility back asap. Then take a look at all the competitors kicking your ass. That should bring more humility. Then start really listening to your customers. That'll definitely resolve any residual arrogance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com