Why it's time for Mini-Microsoft to reveal his identity to the world |
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Why it's time for Mini-Microsoft to reveal his identity to the world
You might think Mini-Microsoft would be feeling good about things based on the company's recent layoffs, but after years of calling for leaner operations, the anonymous employee blogger this week said he's taking a break from posting and pondering a future away from the company.
Take his post with a grain of salt. It's hard to imagine him leaving. Even his past blogging sabbaticals haven't lasted long. But if he is seriously thinking about quitting the company, here's a better idea: He should just reveal his identity, and see what happens.
It would be a real litmus test. If Microsoft lets him stay, it would show how much the company has changed -- and how willing it is to embrace criticism from within its own ranks. And if they fire him? Well, he was thinking about leaving anyway. At the very least, he'd be well-positioned for a book deal or something else along those lines to help make up for any money or benefits lost.
In his post this week, Mini said he wasn't among the people laid off, acknowledging what an irony that would have been. Despite the fact that Microsoft has trimmed its workforce, which has long been the defining mantra of his blog, he made it clear that he's uneasy about the company's future, and uncertain about his future there:
"Getting back to focus, I have lots of forward looking thoughts and it's interesting to me in how few of them I imagine myself at Microsoft for the long-term, let alone mid-term. Four years ago that would be unimaginable heresy. Now: well, in my opinion, the company has fumbled and tumbled into an awkward future with little sense of rigor and spoiled by the abundant cash of Windows and Office. Windows survived Vista and it looks like Sinofsky/DeVaan have a Winning 7 to make amends. Hope. Enough?"
I'm not one of the reporters who knows Mini's identity, either by plan or by accident. But I have spoken with him on the phone a few times over the years, and it's clear that he cares deeply about the company. Seems like that's the type of person Microsoft should keep around -- even after they find out who he is.
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