6 ms·

I hope you realize a huge multi-billion dollar company such as Microsoft isn't one unified entity. Chances are the PR/politics guys never even talked to the tea

by leppr 11y ago

I hope you realize a huge multi-billion dollar company such as Microsoft isn't one unified entity. Chances are the PR/politics guys never even talked to the team responsible for that telemetry update and have very different agendas. Furthermore, this kind of article is the last place where they would want to bullshit you, seeing how it is a prime target for their critics.

jacquesm 11y ago
If there is one challenge that Nadella is facing then it is that one: to get a single unified set of goals that Microsoft will strive to achieve. As long as 'the team responsible for the telemetry update' can screw up their long term prospects they're not looking good. Note how the GP writes "I really wanted to believe in the new Microsoft". And then some out-of-control arm of the company comes along and wrecks that (assuming it really is out-of-control rather than that it is a case of saying one thing and doing another).
- ethbro 11y ago
  This is why having technical management (or at least technical-understanding) is key once you grow past a certain size, I think. There was a link here a few months back about some MS tiger team that upper management convened to solve a cross-department issue (something about a webpage in updates?). Additional department heads kept getting added to the call everytime someone said "It's not my issue, it's X's!" (ah, here's the link -- http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/files/library/2003Jangatesmoviemaker.pdf http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/files/library/2003Jangat...) I think that's what it takes nowadays: "I have the authority to make you and anyone else necessary resolve this" + "I recognize this is a problem" Too often it's one without the other. PS: Side tip. I think one great thing large organizations can do is have a more outside-the-org-chart independent problem solver. Problems get reported, they summarize the issue and get priority/sign-off from only above themselves, then they're empowered to pull who they need to fix it. Otherwise "that's an issue that only affects our users (aka not dev)" seems all too common.
kardos 11y ago
> I hope you realize a huge multi-billion dollar company such as Microsoft isn't one unified entity. Chances are the PR/politics guys never even talked to the team responsible for that telemetry update and have very different agendas. The article was not written by "some PR guy", the author is stated as "Brad Smith, the President and Chief Legal Officer". I don't think someone with that position would be blissfully unaware of the telemetry/spying issue. Actions speak louder than words.
- M2Ys4U 11y ago
  I can believe it. Microsoft fired their chief privacy advisor (Caspar Bowden) in 2011 for saying “If you sell Microsoft cloud computing to your own governments than this law (FISA) means that NSA can conduct unlimited mass surveillance on that data” to an internal meeting of regional managers.[0] He later tweeted that Brad Smith's "posturing as conscientious is nauseating cynicism"[1] about this very case. I miss Caspar, he was ahead of his time in recognising the dangers of cloud computing (especially in the US wrt FISA etc.). RIP :( [0] http://www.cloudwards.net/news/ex-microsoft-chief-privacy-officer-warns-about-cloud-surveillance-5868/ http://www.cloudwards.net/news/ex-microsoft-chief-privacy-of... [1] https://twitter.com/casparbowden/status/542588420611379201 https://twitter.com/casparbowden/status/542588420611379201

by leppr 11y ago

jacquesm 11y ago

If there is one challenge that Nadella is facing then it is that one: to get a single unified set of goals that Microsoft will strive to achieve. As long as 'the team responsible for the telemetry update' can screw up their long term prospects they're not looking good. Note how the GP writes "I really wanted to believe in the new Microsoft". And then some out-of-control arm of the company comes along and wrecks that (assuming it really is out-of-control rather than that it is a case of saying one thing and doing another).

ethbro 11y ago
This is why having technical management (or at least technical-understanding) is key once you grow past a certain size, I think. There was a link here a few months back about some MS tiger team that upper management convened to solve a cross-department issue (something about a webpage in updates?). Additional department heads kept getting added to the call everytime someone said "It's not my issue, it's X's!" (ah, here's the link -- http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/files/library/2003Jangatesmoviemaker.pdf http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/files/library/2003Jangat...) I think that's what it takes nowadays: "I have the authority to make you and anyone else necessary resolve this" + "I recognize this is a problem" Too often it's one without the other. PS: Side tip. I think one great thing large organizations can do is have a more outside-the-org-chart independent problem solver. Problems get reported, they summarize the issue and get priority/sign-off from only above themselves, then they're empowered to pull who they need to fix it. Otherwise "that's an issue that only affects our users (aka not dev)" seems all too common.

kardos 11y ago

> I hope you realize a huge multi-billion dollar company such as Microsoft isn't one unified entity. Chances are the PR/politics guys never even talked to the team responsible for that telemetry update and have very different agendas. The article was not written by "some PR guy", the author is stated as "Brad Smith, the President and Chief Legal Officer". I don't think someone with that position would be blissfully unaware of the telemetry/spying issue. Actions speak louder than words.

M2Ys4U 11y ago
I can believe it. Microsoft fired their chief privacy advisor (Caspar Bowden) in 2011 for saying “If you sell Microsoft cloud computing to your own governments than this law (FISA) means that NSA can conduct unlimited mass surveillance on that data” to an internal meeting of regional managers.[0] He later tweeted that Brad Smith's "posturing as conscientious is nauseating cynicism"[1] about this very case. I miss Caspar, he was ahead of his time in recognising the dangers of cloud computing (especially in the US wrt FISA etc.). RIP :( [0] http://www.cloudwards.net/news/ex-microsoft-chief-privacy-officer-warns-about-cloud-surveillance-5868/ http://www.cloudwards.net/news/ex-microsoft-chief-privacy-of... [1] https://twitter.com/casparbowden/status/542588420611379201 https://twitter.com/casparbowden/status/542588420611379201