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Microsoft Loses Two Key Executives

DIY News writes "Microsoft lost two key employees amidst major reorganization announced last month. One of them has led several MSN efforts and another who was a top developer for the Office unit. According to Microsoft, 'when you have a company of 60,000 employees, people are coming and going all the time.'"

48 of 163 comments (clear)

  1. In Other Breaking News... by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I'm drinking coffee and eating fresh coconut.

    Gagne: Undoubtably made very wealthy in his time at the big M and wants to blow his wad racing around in cars, outside the Microsoft parking lot.

    Partovi: Likely also found rolling around naked in money, wants to try another startup. (He probably noticed something Microsoft will need in the future and wants to develop it on his own and then sell it for more biggie bucks.)

    Neither of these will likely have much real impact so this is a Slow News Day article.

    Also, at the back of the papers is something about Nemesis has been spotted, it's heading toward the Sun and will reach it in 11 years, when we'll all die horribly. Hmm. Guess I don't have to worry about Social Security after all.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:In Other Breaking News... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Fuck off, you fucking Google-astroturf!

      MS does something: "Oh, it doesn't matter, it's old, and they're evil, and I'm runing Linux since the 70s."
      Google does something: "Ooooooooooooh, that's GREAT and soooo innovative!!!! I hope they will blow the M$ out of business really soon now!!!!"

      Get a fucking job.

    2. Re:In Other Breaking News... by jcr · · Score: 2, Funny

      Oh, Stevie B.. You're so funny when you're seeting with jealousy.

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    3. Re:In Other Breaking News... by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 3, Funny

      Be careful! He's got a chair and he knows how to use it!

      --
      If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
    4. Re:In Other Breaking News... by sld126 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You can see how he sounds here:
      http://www.axisofstevil.com/djballmerfresh.swf

      --
      You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.
  2. Lemme guess... by TrappedByMyself · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is one of those threads where people get free Karma by pontificating about the impending demise of Microsoft.

    --

    Help me take back Slashdot. When did 'News for Nerds' become 'FUD and Conspiracy Theories for Extremist Nutjobs'?
    1. Re:Lemme guess... by Senzei · · Score: 5, Funny
      This is one of those threads where people get free Karma by pontificating about the impending demise of Microsoft.

      Microsoft should be declaring bankruptcy any moment, now, give me karma.

      --
      Slashdot: Where anecdotes and generalizations can be freely substituted for facts, logic, or intelligence
    2. Re:Lemme guess... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 5, Funny

      This is one of those threads where people get free Karma by pontificating about the impending demise of Microsoft.

      I doubt it, Funny mods give no karma. You'd have to make either an insightful, interesting or informative comment to earn that, and I don't think "pontificating about the impending demise of Microsoft" would be insightful.

      *Starts whistling, hoping his comment was insightful enough* :P

      (Yes, you can mod this funny, I'm in a good mood today)

    3. Re:Lemme guess... by Red+Alastor · · Score: 2, Funny

      Unfortunately for you, being moderated funny won't get you any karma. :-P

      --
      Slashdot anagrams to "Sad Sloth"
    4. Re:Lemme guess... by bladesjester · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You forgot underrated :P

      --
      Everything I need to know I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.
    5. Re:Lemme guess... by Savage-Rabbit · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Karma or not +5 funny is still the most satifying moderation.

      --
      Only to idiots, are orders laws.
      -- Henning von Tresckow
    6. Re:Lemme guess... by redheaded_stepchild · · Score: 4, Funny

      I, for one, welcome our new pontificating Karma giving overlords (moderators?)!

      --
      Don't use the Troll mod just because you disagree with me.
    7. Re:Lemme guess... by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Funny

      +5 funny is still the most satifying moderation.

      You must be really pissed to be +3 Insightful right now.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    8. Re:Lemme guess... by jacksonj04 · · Score: 4

      I thought underrated and overrated were not only karmaless moderations, but also couldn't be M2d?

      --
      How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
  3. Microsoft sure is heartless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I reallly hope they find these guys, for the sakes of their families. Sure, 60,000 is a lot of people, but losing people... wow, and Microsoft acts like it is nothing.

  4. First thrown chair! by fuzzy12345 · · Score: 4, Funny

    First thrown chair!

    --

    Everybody's a libertarian 'till their neighbour's becomes a crack house.
  5. Oh no! by mister_llah · · Score: 5, Funny

    They lost a couple of key executives.

    I guess they'll have to just go to ACE Hardware for their keys, now, just like everyone else...

    ===

    It's not too much of a shocker, people DO come and go all the time, even at big companies... status quo, IMHO.

    --
    MoM++ - A Classic Expanded - [Master of Magic 1.5]
    http://mompp.sourceforge.net/
  6. This is news because...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Why is this news? So they had two people move on with their lives... shocker. I'm under the impression the person that submitted this story thought, "LOL M$ IS GING OT BE PWND BY LINUXES NOW!!!!1 LOL"

    What a stupid "story".

  7. Music, Maestro! by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 4, Funny

    Here's the appropriate lyrics for those who want to sing along.

    Altho this one might be more appropriate.

  8. From TFA: by Frodo+Crockett · · Score: 4, Funny

    Microsoft insiders report that the company still does not know exactly where the two executives went. Local law enforcement has become involved, and has collected a substantial amount of evidence, including two slightly bloody chairs. Microsoft has declined to comment on this evidence.

    --
    "The newly born animals are then whisked off for a quick run through a giant baking oven." --heard on Food Network
    1. Re:From TFA: by vertinox · · Score: 3, Funny

      Did the Police check to see if anyone had been "fucking burried" on Microsoft properties?

      --
      "I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
      -Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
  9. Why Is This On Slashdot? by TheFlyingGoat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    when you have a company of 60,000 employees, people are coming and going all the time

    That's a very true statement, especially when a company is going through a reorganization. This means absolutely nothing other than a slow news day on Slashdot. I'm actually confused as to why this ended up getting approved for the front page.

    --
    You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. --Winston Churchill
    1. Re:Why Is This On Slashdot? by g0at · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm actually confused as to why this ended up getting approved for the front page.

      Because slashdot has degenerated into a piece of self-aggrandizing shit?

      b.

    2. Re:Why Is This On Slashdot? by Sebilrazen · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's a very true statement, especially when a company is going through a reorganization. This means absolutely nothing other than a slow news day on Slashdot. I'm actually confused as to why this ended up getting approved for the front page.

      Ah, but on /. a slow news day considerably lowers the bar for 'stuff that matters.'

      --
      "There are no facts, only interpretations." --Friedrich Nietzsche.
    3. Re:Why Is This On Slashdot? by slashname3 · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm actually confused as to why this ended up getting approved for the front page.

      So they will have something to dupe next week.

  10. Well, at least they didn't.... by GeneralEmergency · · Score: 5, Funny


    ...leave to go work for Google.

    Good thing too.

    Balmer's office furniture allowance is all gone for the quarter.

    --
    "A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
    GeneralEmergency
  11. Why Is This Front Page News?!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Stuff like this happens all the time at every company. This might be newsworthy in the financial backpages, but on slashdot it's a total non-story.

    But the editors know this is perfect trollbait to start flaming and mocking Microsoft. It's obvious that Microsoft bashing is a surefire way of driving pagehits up.

    Zonk, get a life. Post real news or get lost.

  12. Translation by SeventyBang · · Score: 2, Interesting



    On the first one, the summary of the story should be "There is one less executive after Microsoft reorganization" and should be self-explanatory. In the case of Office, everyone must remember it's Microsoft's ca$h cow (not Windows), now responsible for 1/3 of profit. Internally, someone didn't like the [current] progress or sales of Office.

    In the case of the second one, that's 50-50 as to whether it's a push or not.


  13. Gates as Kirk in "Wrath of Khan" by Brad1138 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Goooooooggggggggglllllleee!!!!!!!!!!!

    --
    If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
  14. Modded funny or insightful? by HerculesMO · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm taking bets that most will be modded funny instead of insightful.

    Granted though... I could be moderated insightful for THIS post... so I'm betting against myself :)

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
  15. In other news.... by rm69990 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Google hires two new key executives.

  16. I'm reminded of This is Spinal Tap by Anita+Coney · · Score: 4, Funny

    When I read this quote, "When you have a company of 60,000 employees, people are coming and going all the time." I couldn't help but be reminded of the comment made by Spinal Tap's manager about the band's declining audience.

    Marty: The last time Tap toured America, they where, uh, booked
                      into 10,000 seat arenas, and 15,000 seat venues, and it
                      seems that now, on the current tour they're being
                      booked into 1,200 seat arenas, 1,500 seat arenas, and uh
                      I was just wondering, does this mean uh...the popularity
                      of the group is waning?
    Ian: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no...no, no, not at all.
                      I, I, I just think that the.. uh.. their appeal is
                      becoming more selective.

    --
    If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
  17. Well that's good news! by ZackSchil · · Score: 2, Funny

    For a moment, I thought that my weather widget was busted.

    I thought it was a virus or something. This story explains everything. What a relief.

  18. Executives are overrated by melted · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's the engineers who do the actual work, anyway. A good executive just doesn't get in the way of engineers doing their work. A bad one tells engineers what to do in unnecessarily great detail. Of the two DonGa is a moderate loss. HadiP is not a loss at all. What did MSN achieve under him? Start.com? Puhleeze.

    1. Re:Executives are overrated by Dan+Farina · · Score: 2, Interesting

      However, Gasp, start.com and search.msn.com are standards compliant according to firefox, and, aside from some minor issues, pass W3C validation as well. I hope whoever takes over isn't going to have a lower priority on these standardization efforts...

      At least they appear to render properly with firefox under GNU/Linux.

    2. Re:Executives are overrated by Funakoshi · · Score: 2, Insightful
      This is a ridiculous statement. Those executives are the ones who decide how to market the products, how to price the products and are the ones who make the decisions that SELL the products that those engineers make. The "actual work" as you say, is irrelevant if no one markets it (and thus no one buys it).

      As far as a good executive not getting in the way; there are many engineers that have to be managed (which should be done properly, I admit) to ensure that projects stay on task and include the specifications that are required. While not always communicated to all employees, executives quite often are working to ensure that projects are inline with corporate strategies that have been defined. The strategies are in place because they have been identified as opportunities to increase shareholder wealth, which is the point of any organization (other than an NPO).

  19. That's what you get by turgid · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...when you don't validate your pointers.

  20. so which is it? by yagu · · Score: 2, Interesting

    From the slashdot article "quoting" Microsoft: According to Microsoft, 'when you have a company of 60,000 employees, people are coming and going all the time.

    But in this Slate article is the snippet that we continue to have the lowest turnover in the industry? , (as part of a question Bill Gates raised about continuing to make Microsoft an attractive place to work).

    Seems these two statements conflict, both tailored to serve the spin necessary. So, what is it? Is Microsoft suffering from an exodus or do they truly have one of the lowest turnovers in the industry?

    1. Re:so which is it? by TheAwfulTruth · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How are those statements conflicting?

      If Microsoft has an incredibly low turnover rate of 1% a year for example, that still means that 600 people a year are "coming and going", that's 2 a day! I'd say that that means the statement of people coming and going all the time is pretty straight forward and truthful. That means that both statements could be 100% true and not conflicting in any way.

      But you are right, journalists with adjendas and corporate statements will make use of whichever number looks better for their cause.

      The only tragic thing is when people can't see that and assume that someone is outright lying or wrong which, at least in this example, is not the case. Both statements, sitting side by side, are perfectly truthful and neither one by itself spins anything.

      --
      Contrary to popular belief, coding is not all free blow-jobs and beer. Those things cost MONEY!
    2. Re:so which is it? by ScrewMaster · · Score: 2, Funny

      They don't conflict at all. Gates was referring to the Apple turnovers that are popular in the lunchrooms on the Microsoft campus. Sparing no expense, they use only quality Macintosh Apples for their turnovers.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  21. Significant Loss? by Lead+Butthead · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The fact Microsoft compelled to even comment about the departure suggests they're more important than Microsoft is willing to admit?

    --
    ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
  22. Rearranging by Tordek · · Score: 3, Funny

    Microsoft lost two key employees amidst major reorganization announced last month

    See, That's what you get when you start rearranging stuff and can't remember where you put it.

    --
    Tordek, Dwarven Warrior - Juegos de Rol en Argentina
  23. Did they... by plopez · · Score: 3, Funny

    check underneath the couch? That's where when I lose something, I usually find them.

    --
    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  24. Claim your reward by FishandChips · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dear Colleague

    I am the Fiduciary Collections Officer for the Bank of Mwuangabana e Sanctu Spiritu, Lagos, and am seeking by the same a trustworthy and reliable partner concerning the deposition in cash specie of 7.8 million dollars US by dependable American business the Microsoft Corporation for information leading to the identification of two missing persons. Now I find the money unclaimed and wish to transfer ...

    --
    Las qué passoun
    tournoun pas maï
  25. And strong were these key executives? by sanermind · · Score: 2, Funny

    If these were 2048-bit or 4096-bit key executives, then I think microsoft really has reason to worry! ...But if they were 512-bit key executives, then this is barely news.

    --

    ---
    the pen is mightier than the sword, the sword is mightier than the court, the court is mightier than the pen.
  26. hmmm.... by aquabat · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Scene: gravel road in some desolate bush in the Washington Mountains. A black Buick approaches, pulls to the side of the road. The engine stops. The driver side door opens, and Bill emerges from the vehicle. He walks to the trunk of the car, and opens it. Two executives in suits, blindfolded, hands tied, fumble and stagger as they emerge from the trunk. Bill unties their hands and removes their blindfolds. The executives look at Bill patiently, expectantly, a little anxiously.

    Bill: You're free now, boys. Run, play, live.

    The executives cock their heads uncertainly, look at each other, and then bound off into the bush together. Bill reaches into the trunk, pulls out a Shop Vac, and proceeds to vacuum the interior of the trunk. Bill then walks calmly back to the driver's side of the vehicle, sits in the driver's seat and pulls the door shut. The engine starts. The car does a two point U turn and proceeds to leave the scene, going the way it came.

    --
    A republic cannot succeed till it contains a certain body of men imbued with the principles of justice and honour.
  27. Microsoft loses two key employees... by bananahead · · Score: 2, Funny

    uses Google search to find them..... I simply can't believe I am the first one to use this.

    --
    A most overlooked advantage to owning a computer is if they foul up there's no law against wacking them around a bit.
  28. I disagree: Both are equally important by mindaktiviti · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When you're in such a huge organization as Microsoft, or Google, or a Fortune 500, great management of any kind is important. The best managers make the office politics transparent, the resources needed to finish a project always available, and is a communication and trust layer between the engineers who have those great ideas and upper management who are blinded by other factors when it comes to the importance of the engineers' work.

    Also moving up the ladder, those executives have the power to change an organization, and the great ones do it for the better.

    I believe that in both management and in the technical aspect of the corporate world there are bad apples in both areas. Bad managers, bad engineers, and without good managers and engineers alike, all would hate their jobs.

    A quick note: I'm working on a project right now at the city hall of a very large city. There's myself who is the low level information guy (mostly monkey work), my boss who's a professional materials manager, and then there's the project manager who's a great public speaker. He's the one that's been carrying this project because he's able to cut through all the bullshit with all the city divisions, and no doubt he'll be the one carrying us when our project comes to council next month.