I don't think that's really fair. I know enough former Microsoft employees and was one long ago enough to know that they don't really listen to us unless we're

I don't think that's really fair. I know enough former Microsoft employees and was one long ago enough to know that they don't really listen to us unless we're the team that designed it. Removing the start button was a classic example, and there is or was plenty of unrest in the walls of Microsoft around all the data being collected. I am more than confident there are 10s of thousands of employees that are either resigned in disappointment or actively annoyed at what Microsoft has done here with these ads, just like the Skydrive ads before them. Disclosure: worked for Microsoft a long time ago. My views, obviously, do not reflect their values.