This sounds suspiciously like the beginnings of a death rattle. What impressed me most about MS (worked with them around '97-2000) was that the company was div

This sounds suspiciously like the beginnings of a death rattle. What impressed me most about MS (worked with them around '97-2000) was that the company was divided into small divisions that had very precisely defined goals, and were able to operate somewhat autonomously (as long as they didn't conflict with core MS goals). Moving from a federated empire to a Soviet-style, run-from-the-top dictatorship is not likely to end with much success.