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Rob Conery
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10 months ago
in Is Microsoft Buying the Community? on Emad Ibrahim
>>>And if you guys are reading this post, I would like to hear your opinion. How will you stay objective? Will you still call out Microsoft publicly? Or are you going to be on the defensive and be a mouthpiece for the mothership<<<
Well, right off the bat I can tell you that I took a 50% paycut to go to Microsoft. I think Scott took more than that. The only reason either of us took this job (Phil too) is because we can make more of a difference there, rather than outside the gates, yelling into the wind.
In terms of "how I stay objective" - I think the question (and many of your other questions) is "are you a shill or not. can a company buy you and your opinion". I've been asked this question a lot and if it weren't Microsoft, I'd be wondering WTF people are thinking asking it , and where they get their nerve.
But I've had to learn to mellow. A lot. Being associated with Microsoft means that I am now to blame for a lot of yours (and others) problems. I get to answer questions like "did you sell your soul or what?" and "how are you going to keep Microsoft out of your pants?"
The only think I've found is to not answer those questions - merely point out that in "the real world" you'd probably never ask this of anyone in normal conversation with the assumption that people generally don't compromise their principles. Generally.
In terms of "calling out Microsoft" - the best part of my job is that I can now raise a ruckus internally :) which I do regularly (ask Phil). Not only is it tolerated - it's also welcomed. Which leads me to something else that makes me giggle from time to time: no one has been fired from Microsoft for airing their opinions (Dare Obasanjo springs to mind). You can't say that about a lot of other popular tech companies.
Oops - did I just say something positive? Perhaps I am a mouthpiece! Yikes and here I was thinking that I had some substance and wasn't a prostitute for sale...
Well, right off the bat I can tell you that I took a 50% paycut to go to Microsoft. I think Scott took more than that. The only reason either of us took this job (Phil too) is because we can make more of a difference there, rather than outside the gates, yelling into the wind.
In terms of "how I stay objective" - I think the question (and many of your other questions) is "are you a shill or not. can a company buy you and your opinion". I've been asked this question a lot and if it weren't Microsoft, I'd be wondering WTF people are thinking asking it , and where they get their nerve.
But I've had to learn to mellow. A lot. Being associated with Microsoft means that I am now to blame for a lot of yours (and others) problems. I get to answer questions like "did you sell your soul or what?" and "how are you going to keep Microsoft out of your pants?"
The only think I've found is to not answer those questions - merely point out that in "the real world" you'd probably never ask this of anyone in normal conversation with the assumption that people generally don't compromise their principles. Generally.
In terms of "calling out Microsoft" - the best part of my job is that I can now raise a ruckus internally :) which I do regularly (ask Phil). Not only is it tolerated - it's also welcomed. Which leads me to something else that makes me giggle from time to time: no one has been fired from Microsoft for airing their opinions (Dare Obasanjo springs to mind). You can't say that about a lot of other popular tech companies.
Oops - did I just say something positive? Perhaps I am a mouthpiece! Yikes and here I was thinking that I had some substance and wasn't a prostitute for sale...
1 reply
>>>Well, right off the bat I can tell you that I took a 50% paycut to go to Microsoft.<<<
Ouch... you need a raise :)
>>>I've been asked this question a lot and if it weren't Microsoft, I'd be wondering WTF people are thinking asking it , and where they get their nerve.<<<
Thanks for the Internet, I can hide behind my computer and say anything I want :) Seriously though, I thought they were legitimate questions. Your work and that of others at Microsoft affects my daily life (and that of millions), which makes working at Microsoft different than any other company. Time for a cliche: "With power comes responsibility"
>>>people generally don't compromise their principles<<<
This is not really about me questioning your integrity or that of the other guys. It's about me wondering if this is a good strategy on Microsoft's part. If they hire every dissident then there won't be any.
Imagine if the Bush/Clinton/Obama administration hired every critic :) Sure there will be less criticism which might lead us to think that things are good. When in reality things might be getting worse. The only hope is that these critics would be able to voice there criticism from the inside where it would have more of an impact. This is exactly what you said, so I was glad to hear that. (**note to self: get better analogies).
>>>Being associated with Microsoft means that I am now to blame for a lot of yours (and others) problems<<<
I lost my internet connection this morning. I blame you.
I hope you understand my point and that this is not meant to insult any of you guys. I am actually a big fan and I am getting tired of Google and Apple coming up with all the cool stuff. I actually considered switching to Ruby on Rails, but I have 10+ years invested into Microsoft and .NET, plus the fact that asp.net MVC kicks ass.