Microsoft also confirmed the departure of Dean Lester, another company veteran and Dynamics general manager, who had previously been general manager for Windows graphics and gaming technologies. The company didn't disclose Lester's reasons for leaving but said, in response to our inquiry, that they were not related to changes in the Dynamics organization. We left a message for Lester at a publicly listed home number but haven't heard back.
As you may recall, Microsoft announced back on September 10 that it had launched a new foundation "as a forum in which open source communities and the software development community can come together with the shared goal of increasing participation in open source community projects." It called it's new non-profit organization the CodePlex Foundation, echoing the name of a commercial site, called CodePlex.com, that it had earlier set up to host open source development projects.
Microsoft launched the CodePlex Foundation with bylaws and other governance documents with which I had some issues, and about which I posted some recommendations. But it also publicly stated that these documents, and the initial boards of directors and advisors, were only temporary. Within 100 days, the statements posted at the site pledged, a new Board would be announced. Nominations for the Boards of Directors and Advisors were welcomed, as well as recommendations on changes to the governance documents.
But December 19 - the 100 day mark - passed quietly, with no announcement of a new Board or a status update on the other goals. So what's up with the CodePlex Foundation, and its pledge to promptly transition into a more independent organization?
One clue may be that the search for a permanent Executive Director, to replace interim President Sam Ramji, apparently isn't moving quickly.
Comments
Chips B. Malroy
2009-12-31 18:28:00
Yes, over 5,000 layoffs, 2,000 more gone by selling off parts of the company, and most likely another 5,000 or more contractor status employees gone as well. 12,000 still leaves room for Mini-M$ target of 20,000 to be "trimmed." Then there is all the cuts and perks gone at MS for the worker Bee's. Oddly Ballmer did not take a real cut, but then he is doing such a great job.
Think of the parallels of Vi$ta/Seven and Microsoft itself, both are bloated, slow, and without innovation. They need to be trimmed?
A lot depends on how good, or how bad this Xmas shopping season was for OEM's. If bad, we will shortly see more layoffs at Redmond, maybe as soon as Jan. 4th, or around the time of the next quarter coming out for MS.
Roy Schestowitz
2009-12-31 18:35:00
As for Microsoft "need[ing] to be trimmed," see what their former employee Niall Kennedy said after he had left -- something along the lines of Microsoft being "oversized" and "paralyzed".
Later he wrote this:
http://www.niallkennedy.com/blog/2006/12/microsoft-linux-patents.html
your_friend
2010-01-01 05:54:55
Needs Sunlight
2009-12-31 19:22:27
You get a very unusual type of person even considering working for M$. They're not going to change their spots quickly, even if they want to.
Yuhong Bao
2009-12-31 20:46:37
Roy Schestowitz
2009-12-31 21:07:10