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Elop and Others Leaving Microsoft, Myerson Taking Bigger Role
jones_supa writes: Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop and "Scroogled" mastermind Mark Penn are leaving Microsoft as part of a fresh company reorganization. "We are aligning our engineering efforts and capabilities to deliver on our strategy and, in particular, our three core ambitions," says CEO Satya Nadella in an e-mail to employees today. Alongside Elop and Penn, Microsoft executives Kirill Tatarinov and Eric Rudder will also leave as part of a transition period. Tatarinov used to head up Microsoft's business solutions group, and Ruder was responsible for the company's advanced strategy. The reorganization will see Windows chief Terry Myerson take on more responsibility. Myerson will take over a new team called Windows and Devices Group. He will be focused on Microsoft devices and the engineering of Windows.
You misunderstand. Stephen Elop just fulfilled his destiny created by Steve Ballmer: Appear competent while being incompetent, and destroy the world's largest handset manufacturer by making sure it never picks up Android so that it becomes an easy takeover target.
Now that his destiny has been fulfilled, Microsoft no longer needs his services.You misunderstand. Stephen Elop just fulfilled his destiny created by Steve Ballmer: Appear competent while being incompetent, and destroy the world's largest handset manufacturer by making sure it never picks up Android so that it becomes an easy takeover target.
Now that his destiny has been fulfilled, Microsoft no longer needs his services.
Calling the guy who came up with Scroogled a "mastermind" is a bit of a stretch, if you ask me.
Apparently, one of which is to become a much smaller company.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
"We are aligning our engineering efforts and capabilities to deliver on our strategy and, in particular, our three core ambitions" is CEO speak for, "We fired some folks."
...and then I left. Like a lot of people, I thought working at Microsoft would be great. A chance to work for the mothership, as it were. I duly applied, made it through my three interviews, was hired and began work. Almost immediately, I noticed how fractured the company was internally. They had no real mobile strategy and still don't. I noticed the backbiting and political shenanigans that plague most businesses were present as well. Internally, Microsoft is very poltical, much more so than I imagined. So much so, in fact, I felt awkward from day one until I left.
The company is a good place to work if you like high structure and a very real and very apparent hierarchy. I neither want "high" structure or a political leadership environment. There are some very talented people there. To me, it all felt as if they were grasping at straws because they know the Office/OS gravy train is coming to an end sooner or later and no one really has any concrete ideas. Everything coming out of Microsoft in the last several years makes them appear to be an also-ran.
Here, let me run MS for a second.
- Fire everyone responsible for Windows 8's design
- Fire anyone who thinks charging for products over time is a good idea
- Fire anyone responsible for UEFI and attempt to press criminal and civil charges against them for it
- Fire all H1B workers and hire Americans or green card citizens
- Fire anyone who thinks releasing a new mega-update to Windows every year is a good idea and strongly suggest they go work for Apple
- Fire anyone who thought touchscreens would take off as a primary input method for laptops because they're too stupid to be a functional human being let alone do their job
Problem solved!
Ok, so NOBODY ever leaves a position of power and/or authority of their own will. History is replete with a plethora of examples of this. The only way people leave positions of power is by force. Usually arrest, assassination, or execution. So WHO has enough power to force these MICROSOFT executives to leave? I find the explanation that they did so of their own free will not supported by history. I'm also quite aware that they will be paid handsomely to leave, but this is always just a front to make the appearance of an amicable separation. Please realize that Elop, unarguably, RUINED Nokia in order to get on the board of Microsoft. He left THOUSANDS of employees without jobs. So who has enough power to dethrone a person of this ruthless character?
Nadella said in an email to employees: "We are aligning our engineering efforts and capabilities to deliver on our strategy and, in particular, our three core ambitions. This change will enable us to deliver better products and services that our customers love at a more rapid pace."
And is he really under the impression that customers love Microsoft products?
.
Most of the Microsoft customers I talk to use Microsoft products either because they are required to do so at work, or the Microsoft product came with the computer they bought.
I have yet to hear one customer use the word "love" in relation to any Microsoft product.
Ok so let's start a pool! Where is Elop going next??? I've got the Apple, Google, and government squares. Who's next?
Facebook !
BRILLIANT!!!!
When he ran Symantec...
And he is now running us into the ground like he did them. Symantec's products are terrible, and he has decided to make our products horrible to. That is Thompson's game. He fires all of the good people and replaces them with morons that work cheap and are picked because they're a minority. AA has destroyed my department. Over the past year, I think I've interviewed about 150 developers. Only one was competent. This month, we're only hiring women. So, now I have five female developers on my team that will never be able to contribute. Thompson has destroyed another good company.
Exactly. When there's plenty of $200 or cheaper Android and Windows Phone devices that do a very good job, it's not going to be long before people refuse to pay $700 for and iPhone. I'm surprised they've lasted as long as they have. There is no reason to pay such a high price for a phone. I don't see any with really compelling features. Perhaps the Lumia 1020 with it's 41 megapixel camera has a feature that no other phone does, but other than that, there doesn't seem to be a single phone out there that can do something that a $200 phone can't do. They're really doing to have to start offering real hardware differences like perhaps a real SSD inside the phone, or a phone that can run desktop software (even if it only works when you plug it in) if they want to continue asking $700 for a phone.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
I hope he goes to Comcast. I really, really do.
HP? They seem to like to hire complete failures.
Apple hasn't charged a premium for a better phone since maybe the first iPhone. It's just modern jewelry. And when you're buying a status symbol, as long as it's distinctive it's worth what you paid for it. Like a mechanical watch, an iPhone says "marvel at my disposable income and middle-class buying habits".
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
"... actual incompetence plays a large factor..."
You are not the only one who thinks that.
The cover of the January 16, 2013 issue of BusinessWeek magazine has a large photo of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer with the headline calling him "Monkey Boy". See the BusinessWeek cover in this article: Steve Ballmer Is No Longer A Monkey Boy, Says Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The BusinessWeek cover says "No More" and "Mr.", but that doesn't take much away from the fact that the magazine called him Monkey Boy -- on its cover.
Worst CEO: Quote from an article in Forbes Magazine about Steve Ballmer: "Without a doubt, Mr. Ballmer is the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company today."
Another quote: "The reach of his bad leadership has extended far beyond Microsoft when it comes to destroying shareholder value -- and jobs." (May 12, 2012)
Don't blame the feminists for some overboard policy designed for unwanted rapid correction instead of a sensible hiring policy that merely insists women be given fair consideration for a job along with all the guys.
There's plenty of other HR idiocy in large places to show where the problem really lies, typically empire building and pointless busywork for HR to maintain headcount and have power in the org.