I was only there 1999 to 2013, so I didn't directly experience it, although there were still plenty of "Microsoft Volunteers" when I started. A friend who was

I was only there 1999 to 2013, so I didn't directly experience it, although there were still plenty of "Microsoft Volunteers" when I started. A friend who was there through much of the 90s used to remark that it was great when the share price was exponential because "the assholes" would leave as soon as they could "call in rich", but the people who loved the job would stay. When the share price went flat, "the assholes" would start gaming the review system. There was definitely a change from an era in which salary was the smaller part of compensation to an era in which it became the dominant component, it took senior management too long to realize how important this change was