Comments on: at least no chairs were thrown…

By: steve heller

steve heller — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:22:52 +0000

I can say without any doubt that it is NOT true that as a software engineer “[a]fter 30 to 40 years of age you are washed up and better be in management by then”. I’m considerably older than 40 and have had very little trouble getting good, well-paying non-management jobs, other than for a year or so in the aftermath of the .com boom.

By: Boliver

Boliver — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 03:52:50 +0000

Here are the facts on software engineers. You are good to go until you reach about 30 to 35 years old. Most of the really creative software people are about 16 years old, but they lack skills. Making good software requires a mind that is not full of “other things”. After 30 to 40 years of age you are washed up and better be in management by then. The new yonger guys will take over. Thinking that you are somehow special and that you will not be replaced or given crap jobs to make you quit is not rational thinking. Time to look for other areas to put your talents.

By: Boycott Novell » Off-Topic: The Secret Crumbling of Microsoft’s Key Staff

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:45:01 +0000

[...] at least no chairs were thrown… A friend of mine was walked out of Microsoft today. [...]

By: Sergey Solyanik

Sergey Solyanik — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 06:54:13 +0000

Bizzare… I am fairly sure it depends on a team, maybe division. I’ve spent about a month wrapping things up at Microsoft after I announced that I am moving to Google, and the behavior of both HR and my management was completely sane.

By: Fielded that one, eh?

Fielded that one, eh? — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:30:07 +0000

I left MSFT a little over a year ago after 5 and a bit years, on good terms, talked everything through with my manager and my team who all gave the appearance at least of being sorry to see me go. I didn’t quite get the perp walk, but as I was going to work for another software company that apparently meant I was leaving for the competition so I was given “gardening leave” for my notice period with all access etc. removed immediately. It wasn’t my manager who handled it, the order came down from higher, he was simply the messenger.

Funny how any software company that is not MSFT is apparently the competition. Go figure. That’s what happens when MSFT tries to dominate every potentially profitable part of the software market, I guess.

It has, however, not prevented me from being in regular contact with former colleagues and team-mates professionally, socially and even coming back in for an interview for a role I thought I was interested in…but am sort of glad now I did not get!

On the definite plus side I now know there is a lot more out there, some of it fun, much of it better paying and less political…

By: Microsoft’s Treatment of Google Defectors

Microsoft’s Treatment of Google Defectors — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:50:57 +0000

[...] can expect the full chair experience, some lowly staffers who are putting in their notice are being escorted off campus immediately. Why? Because they’ve put in their notice to join Google.In Microsoft’s eyes, Google is [...]

By: Is Google Microsoft’s New Enemy #1? | Way of the Geek

Is Google Microsoft’s New Enemy #1? | Way of the Geek — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:04:13 +0000

[...] to Erik Selberg, who apparently left Microsoft Live Search sometime ago, some of his colleagues who have given [...]

By: justin

justin — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:34:03 +0000

I work for a bank in their corp office and there’s a huge competitor in the same city…I have known people to go back and forth between banks and they never had this kind of problem. I assume that it’s because the banks make tons of money and really don’t feel threatened by each other. Microsoft has a good stream of money coming in and so does Google…I don’t get why Microsoft would feel threatened by Google as Google’s money seems to mostly come from ad revenue while Microsoft’s is software.

By: Anon

Anon — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:32:20 +0000

I know that senior vp’s have given directives to have people escorted out immediately when they gave their notice to go to Google. This happened to me when I went to Google (~2 years ago).

It made me think much, much less of MS. The level of animosity felt at MS toward Google is such that people could not wear garb with Google on it for fear of being thought a trader — the reverse is not true.

By: Andrew Fenn

Andrew Fenn — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:37:20 +0000

That seems kinda silly to just walk someone out the door. How is Microsoft going to find someone else to fill that employee’s job, what about documentation on the stuff the guy was working on and what about handing over responsibilities to other employees that the guy had?

It must be really unproductive when you make someone just walk out the door.