9-1/2 weeks: Leaving Microsoft not as sexy or tormenting

After 9-1/2 weeks, I have left my job as an Enthusiast Evangelist at Microsoft. So there you go. I'm just ripping off the band-aid. Ouchie! I know, “What happened?”

In a nutshell, I felt like Martha Stewart trying to fit in at the Star Trek convention. I wanted to play with style and they wanted to play with robots.

Okay seriously, it simply came down to passion. I want to live my life with joy, meaning, and vibrance. Yes, vibrance, my 2007 New Year’s theme. I am a creative, right-brainer, and truly passionate lover of the web. I am so lucky to live in Silicon Valley where all the web 2.0 action is happening. People are literally creating great things out of nothing because, well, we can, with open source, web-based apps, and community. Really all you need is some creativity, love, and action, and watch the magic unfold. It’s thrilling. So, right there you can start seeing the conflict. Why did I go to Microsoft in the first place? I thought I could make a difference. I'm an idealist. In the long run, the price was too much. Lessons learned. 

At Microsoft I met some really talented people who were extremely warm and welcoming. Honestly, I was taken aback by how inviting people were towards me. I left Microsoft with a better impression of the company than when I came in because of the people I worked with, albeit a short time. 

I got to see Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer in person. Ballmer screams loudly like Chris Farley’s motivational speaker character Matt Foley. Gates is the richest person on the planet and he looks like he could be Harry Potter’s dad. Despite my funny anecdotes, there was something inspiring seeing thse guys in action. I got to go to Redmond and visit the mother ship. I got to be an insider at one of the most influential companies in the world. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity.

I never really got this before but what truly makes me excited about web 2.0 is that it is democratizing technology and making it accessible to anyone regardless of economic status, class, or means. If you have some kind of computer or handheld device with internet connection you can do amazing things like create a business for almost nothing, evoke social change through blogging/podcasting/vlogging, and teach people how to “fish.” (That old adage. It is better to teach people how to fish than to catch the fish for them.) Web 2.o apps may not be full of bells and whistles or be feature-rich like software from a CD, but it is good enough. It is good enough for people to get started when they have minimal or no resources or money.

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I created my blog business for less than $100, and it costs me about the price of a pair of nice jeans a month to run beyond my time and energy. I cannot do this with the current MS products or services. And I tried. I am making money while helping to evoke change in the beauty industries. I can use CSS and be creative in my blog design, and control what is advertised on my space. You can’t do that in Live Spaces. To buy Office 2007 Home edition is $150, and Vista Home Premium is $240. (Buying Vista Basic is really kind of pointless.) With that $150 and $240, many people can use that for more pressing things like health insurance, car insurance, debt elimination, rent, food, or gas.

If you’re a sole proprietor just starting out, things like Google docs and spreadsheets or ZOHO apps can get the job done for  fundamental business needs like business plans, correspondence, and basic financial reports, and it’s free or at the most some small fee. Again, maybe not feature rich, but good enough. Office Live is essentially the likes of Yahoo Small Business web hosting or GoDaddy Small Business, but the difference in price for the offerings you get is not even a comparison. Yahoo and GoDaddy gives you WAY much more for far less money, and it’s more fun.

Office Live feels like mini-Enterprise. On the emotional side, what MS has forgotten is that small business owners either left or despise the  Enterprise culture. The last thing they want is something that makes them feel Enterprise-y especially the creative types. When I speak to a group of Pro level bloggers, my passion group, I had nothing much to sell them on.When MS develops something as robust and creative as TypePad, Blogger, or WordPress, then it will be interesting.

As a Pro blogger, the only tool I use that is MS made is my wireless mouse, which is fabulous but, for real, there needs to something meatier than that. And again, I tried real hard to find more MS tools to integrate into my uber blogging, and could find none that were more compelling, more productive, or easier than what I already use, so why change? Live Writer is okay, but you can virtually do the same things in Word 2007. This kind of stuff happens because of Silo mentality. I really struggle with the big company stepping on itself. But this is not a problem just at Microsoft. Any company who has reached behemoth size has this issue which is why I refer to it as Corpse-rate behaviour.

In the Valley, the trendsetters are about webware. Software is not bad, it's just costly. What you can do on the web is just utterly interesting. People can also share much easier and faster. Companies must start looking at the web differently. Things are changing, rapidly. Adobe just announced that it will launch an online version of Photoshop before any of the smaller guys do it before them. I have no doubt that we will start to see more of the traditional software people do similar things. I kept asking why MS won’t just launch online versions of Office (word, excel, ppt) along with Office Live, and there was no answer that made sense to me. My only guess is that there is fear of letting go of the old ways of the bread and butter. Again, the web 2.0 stuff may not be as good as the Office stuff, but it is good enough for tons of people, and the web 2.0 folks are jumping ahead where MS is not, perhaps not in the Enterprsie but in individuals and small businesses. MS doesn’t think too much about the long tail which I think will hurt them in the long run. Some may disagree, but this is just my two cents.

Microsoft has a very strong focus on winning “behind the screen” meaning getting businesses, developers, and partners to buy/sell/promote MS products & services, basically “numbers” wins which is fine and one way to operate. I am from the school of holistic thinking, and would ask “Well what are we doing to win “in front of the screen?” Meaning what are we doing to win over end users, especially users who eat, breathe and sleep the web like bloggers, folks who mingle in online communities, and basically anyone who uses the web to help them live their best life, as Oprah would say. YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, etc. are big and popular because of the users, not the technology itself. 

MS like many tech companies spends way too much obsessing on “robust features” and totally negates or minimizes the fashion/style factor. This is where Apple kicks butt, and Motorola got it with the cell phone. The RAZR is the most popular selling cell phone, not because it’s got the best technology but because it’s stylish, fashionable, and cool. Women LOVE it because it fits in the skinny pants, doesn’t make a big bulge in my work pants because women don’t do the belt buckle thing, the evening purse, and it came in colors including 3 shades of pink. The Dolce and Gabbana model was a hit with the fashionistas.

There was a run of some pink Zunes that were a result of a defective brown run. The pink Zunes are totally hot. I personally think they would have sold more than the brown ones because it really looked hot, but they went with brown. Hello! Women buy 52% of all consumer electronics. We buy for 3 generations at all times. We’re a fat wallet that none of the techies are diving into. I wanted to do that at MS since that is also one of my specialties, but that battle was going to be like fighting at the Alamo.

At the end of the day, my heart was not sold on the realities at Microsoft. That is not to say that MS isn’t a thriving place for someone else. In fact, for the right people, there is plenty of room to grow and expand, and they highly encourage growth both as an individual and as an employee. So based on passions, and out of respect for the company’s time and money and mine, since it takes forever to ramp up new people, I felt it best to let someone who is gung-ho and jumps for joy at the thought of MS stuff, take the role.

I am going back to web 2.0 and blogging, my true loves. Again, I am leaving on good terms and with a better impression of MS than when I came in mostly because of the people. In Norcal, the people I worked directly with are fabulous folk. I had a blast at our Enthusiast Evangelist Summit in Redmond! And although I didn’t agree with all the philosophies or course of actions, I have the utmost respect for everyone I worked with at Microsoft. And I like Vista especially the nifty Snipping Tool, my new best friend for blogging tools. Moviemaker is also a dream in ease and style for beginners and enthusiasts. It's not for Scorsese productions but it's good enough for YouTube or the family reunion.

So that’s it in a long nutshell. My spot is now open and as of now, they are looking for someone fantastic to fill it. So, if any of you really, really like MS stuff, live in the greater Silicon Valley/San Francisco area, blog (this is a must), like doing events, and public speaking, let me know ;-)

Comments

[Nick Hodge]

Stephanie

Whilst I don't agree with everything you've said here; there is a very large part I do agree with... and specifically the focus on the "enterprise-y" side of Microsoft is contra what we are about. I think.

I suppose Microsoft had to do this for business growth and survival reasons in the mid to late 1990s. It succeeded.
What about the next 10-15 years? I think many things you touch on here: smaller organisations, quick starts and stops, smaller apps all have created a discontinuity in the world that MS may or may not grasp.

I don't know the answer, but it is going to be interesting to be a part of it. I hope people above my paygrade are doing something about this. Certainly the market dynamics will cause change.

I totally grok what you are doing: it's needed. Technology and style are meeting in big ways. That said, maybe we "Star Trek conventionists" don't understand stuff outside Technology. I dunno. We'll see.

Nick

[Zandria]

Once again, I'm so impressed by you, Stephanie. You started this job thinking it would be one thing, but once you found out that it wasn't for you, you decided to leave. And I love that. Vibrancy! It's a wonderful thing.

I think there are a lot of people who stay where they are because it's comfortable, and/or lucrative. But you can't stay with a company that you don't whole-heartedly support, and that's very admirable. You're an inspiration to me. :)

[Stephanie Quilao]

Thanks Nick. You're part of a great bunch of people there. Yeah, there will people who won't see eye to eye on how I saw things, but it is what it is, and we just go and do our best. I wish you much success.

Thansk Zandria. You know life is really about choices. What is most important to you and what you are willing to do to achieve it? I chose to make my bliss and joy grow. Is it easy to do this? Not always. Do I miss a steady paycheck and awesome health benefits, you bet. Did I not think some things through enough and make mistakes while at Microsoft, you bet I did. Were they not happy with some things about me, probably. Nothings ever perfect. So you learn, and move forward. This is the beauty of age and wisdom.

I also thought about all the people who interviewed for this job as well, and for the management team I reported to, and to the company itself. As a business owner, ideally, I would want to have employees who are happy to be with us, who really want to be there. It costs money and resources to ramp up new people, and I am sensitive about that. If it's not a fit. It's not a fit, and that's okay. Move forward and do it quickly.

The universe is an abundant place. Microsoft will get someone fantastic who can't wait to jump in, and I'll get to be joyful in growing my blog business, and helping other people in what I do blissfully.

[deidre]

it takes some pretty big guts in this day and age to say no to benefits and steady paychecks by walking away from a job, even if you know it won't help your happiness. having done this myself once, i should know :) so, congrats on knowing your life lies on a different path!

i've never worked in "corporate" america and for that i count myself infinitely lucky; thusfar i've somehow managed to stay firmly entrenched in the R&D sector of non-profits. however, i can imagine how soul-drenching it would be for someone with a creative spirit who wants more out of a job than just punching in an 8-hour day of dullness. and i can definitely imagine how frustrating it would be to know you want to take things in a different direction but no one else can see your vision or agree. i'd seen your original post about getting the job and i had thought it would be a good opportunity for you to use your creative skills, but having read this, i see that microsoft just doesn't share your vision. so i'm glad you recognized that so quickly.

i wish you much luck with your blog business! and i have just one question now: will you be posting more delicious pictures on your noshtopia site soon? ;)

[Stephanie Quilao]

Thanks for the supposrt deidre. I stopped on Noshtopia because I didn't have time ;-( Don't worry, I will be ramping up there again real soon.

Part of the reason my boss hired me was to bring new DNA into the MS mix. He was hiring for what the company needs, and I was really excited about that. MS REALLY needs to hire more creative, right-brainers. They are going after designers now with their Expression line of products, and that is a whole different bunch than developers. MS knows how to work with the developer crowd well. Artists/designers/creatives is breaking out of the comfort zone for them, and it is an area where the users are VERY passionate about Apple and Adobe. It will be a good learning experience for MS.

[Zandria]

Thanks for an awesome response, Stephanie. I don't usually come back and check past posts for follow-up comments, so I'm glad I did on this one. You should think about putting them in an email! :)

I think I'm going to be writing something up about this. It's a topic that's been on my mind a lot lately.

[John Dowdell]

"I never really got this before but what truly makes me excited about web 2.0 is that it is democratizing technology and making it accessible to anyone regardless of economic status, class, or means."

... or continent, language, or whether they 've got a desk for a computer or not... mobile is important too.

"More voices" won't solve everything, but it will help with a lot of things, I think....

g'luck, jd/adobe

[Gen]

Good luck Stephanie. You'll be glad you followed your heart.

Also, not all software is costly. Free/open source software (Linux, Firefox, Thunderbird, Gimp, Audacity, etc.) are great tools for bloggers and small businesses that cost nothing.

[Gen]

Oh, VLC is great too :)

[Paul Foster]

I agree the summit was fun, it was great to meet you and to get a small insight into you and your world. I wish you'd hung in a bit longer - MS gets changed not by working up the management chain but by emailing the top man. This is how we woke up to the Internet and there are probably plenty more stories like that, that aren't public.
As a gung-ho, jumping for joy, into robotics Ms'tie :-) I'd like to pick you up on a couple of things.
One, Live Writer may do the same things as Word but it is FREE.
And more, if you purchased a PC you more than likely got MS Works in the bundle which has all your basic business tools in it. So the basic Windows PC gives you everything to get going in its basic price. MS Office is the big upgrade from Works, not the thing required from the get go.

Take care I look forward to watching your progress and being able to proudly say 'I know her!'

[Hans Hoffmann]

Well I only knew you a very short time, we met at the Expression launch. But I found your views and opinions very refreshing. We did talk at length about colors and devices over the pre-launch dinner. Seems a simple concept, but...
Good luck:-) - Hans

[mikkie]

That is so great to read! I imagine a weight has been lifted of your shoulders. And hey, you had to try it to know it was not for you. :-)

Reading your decision kind of comforted me as well. Last year I was in a similar position. I got accepted at a prestigious Dutch consultancy agency. The moment I heard I was accepted was the start of a two-week headache. In the end I did not take it. The interviews I had there were horrible, some of the people were great but with those who would be my direct colleagues I felt like we were on completely different frequencies, I did not get their jokes, they did not get mine, we had completely different associations with certain things.

So instead of taking that job I decided to stay in my low-status, low-paying teacher one. Some people think I am nuts for that, but I remember the moment I called them to say no and the feeling of relief that came with it. No regrets here.

Plus, a good friend of mine just quit her well-paid job at a large bank that would guarantee her a great career. Reason: she always felt much more connected to NGO's, idealistic causes, human affairs and realised she had strayed.

Another one quit her job at Accenture for similar reasons.

Don't get me wrong, I know plenty of people who are perfectly happy with their business careers and there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone has to decide for themselves what makes them happy or not and that will be different for all.

I just love it when people realise that they are or are not on the right track and follow their heart regardless of what others may think.

Thanks for another inspirational story!

[Manola Blablablanik]

Stephanie, congratulations on being open-minded enough to try, and focused enough on your heart's desires to be true to your path.

[Robert Scoble]

Stephanie, I didn't know you until someone I follow linked to you, but this is right on. Unfortunately Microsoft isn't listening to the people who could really help it out.

It's too big a business success to see that there are real troubling times ahead of it. Some see it but can't make change happen fast enough -- the management isn't clued into what you just wrote.

I'm subscribed and will follow your future exploits. Thanks for an enlightening post.

[Chris Bernard]

Stephanie, this is a very belated comment but I'm so sorry to see you leave Microsoft as I was so excited to meet you in SF and in Seattle and seeing what you could do in your new role in MS. I think you're spot on about MS and it clearly needs and VALUES insights from folks that fall outside the mainstream (at least most of the time). But it's hard somedays too. I think if you'd been able to give it a bit more time you would have found it felt less and less like a Star Trek convention. It's TechReady that probably put you over the edge (It almost did it to me too!). I'm glad we got you for three months and I'm looking forward to continuing to read your fantastic blog. I've even got my wife and sister hooked on it too! You're an incredibly empowering role model in a space where we really need them. Good luck on the book too, if you're not working on one you should be! :)

Chris Bernard,
User Experience Evangelist, Microsoft

[Raymond Keefe]

Stephanie - I am a friend of Chris Bernard (we did time together @ IBM) who told me of your blog. I loved your openness and insight of your experience during your 9.5 week tour de force at Microsoft. I guess it is sad but yet typical of a role like yours not working well at a place Microsoft. Have they become the 'robots' that they once revered in IBM when they started? Anyway, good luck were you go next, keep blogging, and I'll keep reading...now, if I could only get into a pair of "skinny jeans" myself.

PS-I couldn't stand the RAZR, I threw mine in the microwave and got a Blackberry.

[George Anten]

"I think you're spot on about MS and it clearly needs and VALUES insights from folks that fall outside the mainstream"

This from an MSFT "User Experience Evangelist" no less! He just smeared you as being "outside the mainstream." Mainstream is, of course, defined by Microsoft.

The vast majority of MSFT revenue comes from corporate users of Windows and Office, who in the main have no control over what OS/apps they can use. MSFT will of course own them in the "mainstream" column.

Indeed, if you're not using Windows, Office, WMP, .NET, etc., you're not in the mainstream, according to MSFT. The mission of the MSFT "User Experience Evangelist" is not to dilute the lock of their cash-cows on the mainstream, but to convert those hapless ones that "fall outside the mainstream" back into the fold. Ya gotta love the quasi-Freudian framing here.

When another player "owns" the mainstream which like, say, Apple does in digital music, MSFT becomes incredulous and positively apoplectic. (Follow the petulant MSFT management pronouncements on the iPod since its inception as an exercise.)

I challenge anyone here to name three MSFT products that have been unqualified successes in any *competitive* consumer market in the last decade. OK, name just one. (XBox doesn't even begin to count, as no other company on the planet could afford to have sunk multi billion dollars annually over the years to buy marketshare.)

All that needs to be said about/to MSFT is this: enjoy squirting your brown Zune while you can.

[Alison]

Catching up on blogs after my trip to France...I'm glad that you were able to realize rather quickly that this job was not for you. Then again, you and I have talked about this sort of thing, if memory serves.

All the best for your next project, whatever it may be!

[美國待產]

Stephanie, congratulations on being open-minded enough to try, and focused enough on your heart's desires to be true to your path.