April 8, 2007
who speaks for microsoft?
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Good thoughts from The New Big:
This is what always interested me about the blogosphere’s reaction to Robert Scoble when he was a blogger at Microsoft. Scoble was rightly praised for his intelligence and transparency, but it mystified me that he was also supposed to be the harbinger of a new openness at the company. Of course he wasn’t. He was a Microsoft employee with a megaphone, but that’s it. He was the bullfighter’s cape, a captivating presence to pay attention to, but inconsequential in terms of the direction of the company’s energies. In the comment thread Gaping Void, Scoble himself admits as much. He was listening to the outside conversation about the company, but “it just was frustrating to me that I couldn’t get the leadership to really listen, too.”
So, this is part of what’s fascinating to me: who has the right to tell the Microsoft story? Is it the Steve Claytons and the Robert Scobles? Is it Gates and Ballmer? Is it we, the users? Is it all of the above? And what happens when the story diverges? It seems to me that Gates and Ballmer tell one story — that of Microsoft domination at all costs. Clayton and Scoble tell another story — that of an emerging openness and a thirst for innovation. And the users tell a range of other stories, from “Microsoft is still #1″ to “Microsoft is dead.”
[Comment– Barry Dorrans:]
I think you’re making a mistake in viewing MS as one big joined up entity, when (to my eye) it’s not, it’s a bunch of product teams under one banner.
Agreed, Barry. You are totally right.
And I also think it’s a mistake to treat MS as a bunch of product teams under one banner.
Ah, Paradox!
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Tags: Barry Dorrans, Microsoft, Robert Scoble, Steve Clayton
I think you’re making a mistake in viewing MS as one big joined up entity, when (to my eye) it’s not, it’s a bunch of product teams under one banner.
And if that’s the case then why should one person have the right to speak? Do you imagine Ballmer (who frankly has done more damage to MS’s image in the last five years than 10,000 MS bloggers could fix) knows the ins and outs of BizTalk, IIS or even Word? Or that he cares about them beyond their ability to make money?
If you want the story of Microsoft, how about “Barbarians Led by Bill Gates”. Both authors are, in different ways, Microsoft insiders. Jennifer Edstrom is the daughter of Pam Edstrom, Gates’s long-time PR chief and spin doctor. Marlin Eller is a 13-year veteran Microsoft developer who has worked on DOS, early versions of Windows, and pen computing.
Those that ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.
Blessed are those that go around in circles, for they will be known as the big wheels.
Microsoft needs to copy Apple (again) and re-invent itself by inventing a new category in the mind and exploiting it. However I fear Microsoft is full of corporate liggers whose own self interest are rotting the foundation and are fearful of change (perhaps not without good reason).
I work with a lot of techies who have been working with and supporting Microsoft’s products for the last 20 years. Boy do they have some stories to tell about Microsoft and its products! And boy are they buying Macs in droves!
Nothing lasts forever.
After reading the post my mind just made the weirdest musical connection. “I advance masked” — Andy Summers & Robert Fripp. Somehow it seems that “purposeless progressive mental alambication” and “the Microsoft story” have been linked inside my brain.
You are awsome and your work is really inspiring! Thank you!
When you stop and think about a company that has suffered through as much bad press as Microsoft has over the years, it was an eventuality that they would have to learn to use blogs — if nothing else, as another form of PR.
MisterSoftee made the company’s products ubiquitous through a combination of ruthless tactics — and desktop and productivity suite monopoly, which they used to further their market position.
So to answer the question “Who speaks for Microsoft” requires thinking about a carefully orchestrated PR campaign, part of which even included so called transparent methods such as blogs.
Indeed, my issue with Scoble as Microsoft’s blogger has always been that regardless of his very best intentions, he could not help but be assimilated. Even when he was airing the company’s flaws, he was an inadvertant part of a elaborate, carefully thought out media effort. Eventually, he started defending the undefendable.
Who speaks for Microsoft? Well, they are no longer dominated by single personality (like Apple) and they have not quite become a bland faceless entity (like Yahoo). And they have yet to adopt a troika at the top (like Google).
It appears to be “evolving”
Who should speak for Microsoft? How about employees and customers? Isn’t that pretty much what is happening? If we are missing anything, it is the sense that Microsoft is driven by a Big Ideal — something meaningful yet flexible enough to cover all of their disparate activities. Am I naively pining away for the company “vision” — maybe so. But just what do they stand for, what is important and shared inside the company. That is something that can be communicated from both the grasstops and grassroots to us outsiders who use their products.
And, ultimately, their actions are what we all need to talk about. What are the company behaviors that people discuss? Seems dominated by negative stories at times. There are better Microsoft experts on this thread than I (and some dedicated detractors, I am guessing). But I bet there are many many interesting and laudable actions taking place everyday inside the company. I want to hear those stories.
Anyone who starts the Gates Foundation cannot be all bad.
Barry,
Please do warn me when you’re going to make comments like these:
>he was an inadvertant part of a elaborate, carefully thought out media effort
I almost ruined my new Mac by spitting up the milk I was drinking.
If you only knew the truth…
Sigh.
Microsoft’s products speak for it. And, increasingly, they suck. Explorer, Word, Power Point, and especially Outlook all suck.
And as you have often pointed out, it doesn’t matter what you say if your products suck. In fact, one of my favorites of your cartoons says exactly that.
B.L. — the products do speak for the company and it’s employees can help speak for those products and explain them (and their deficiencies). Love to know what you think sucks about Explorer, Word, PowerPoint and outlook. I care about making things better. Wanna help?
There is no “The Microsoft Story.” A story is part of the person who writes it (and /or tells it). So everyone who interacts with Microsoft has their own Microsoft story, and the right to tell it as they please.
If some of the top employees at Microsoft tell a story (or pay someone to tell a story their way) and they call it THE OFFICIAL MICROSOFT STORY and forbid other employees from calling their stories that — so be it. It’s still just their story that they’re hoping you’ll believe.
Who speaks?
Anyone who wants to take responsibility for his or her company.
I take responsibility for my work. I’ll bet Hugh does too.
But how about each of the 71,000 people at Microsoft?
I nominate Alfred Chandler…Barring that I’d like to see a musical penned by Mike Patton and Don Delilo…Uhm.…Yeah…
You’re all wrong! Microsoft is a bunch of pretty anime girls!
I had this conversation (above) with someone yesterday… The problem is certainly a cultural one and an image that doesn’t necessarily project anything positive, exciting, consumer-focused and so on. Things aren’t too good when you have a bunch of people say, “I can’t stand MS and i don’t even know why!” — it’s something that’s happened over time, tinted with some arrogance and not enough understanding of what consumers want or need. However, as Steve Clayton said, what can he and others do to improve things… It’s so easy to bitch and moan, which we all seem to be doing, but no-one offers a solution to the so-called problem…perhaps they (MS) want to see some “jury-agreement” on a way forward that’s objective and not necessarily given by the biased insiders… Just a thought..
Steve: This sounds like a customer service person telling an angry customer “sorry you feel that way” because they’ve had sensitivity training. :>)
Or a PR person who has read: engage bloggers in conversation. In other words, it doesn’t ring true.
Nonetheless, I’d be happy to give you details. Will make a list and send you some concerns later today.
thanks BL — rest assured I missed both the sensitivity training and PR classes
“do i contradict myself? very well then i contradict myself. i am large, i contain multitudes.” walt whitman, “song of myself”
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