The state of the union
The writing is on the wall for Microsoft. They have posted diminishing revenues since 2008 and have consistently not been phased by it. The situation has become so dire that rumors have been circulating about some of the best talent that Microsoft has (like Jay Allard, among others) are readying to leave because of disagreements with CEO Steve Balmer. Now one can say that’s not unusual given how long Allard was with the company, but I’d still be curious.
Having worked with (and for some time at) Microsoft over the last five years I saw a pattern of hubris, failure to communicate, and downright incompetence. It’s this pattern that I believe has led to recent developments such as three different mobile operating systems.
When I speak with current and former employees the company is the butt of at least a couple of jokes, but overall they are pretty indifferent to company affairs beyond the scope of their own group. This is merely a symptom of a larger corporate structure issue, put simply: Microsoft operates like a feudal society