
Rumors of Upcoming Microsoft Cut-Backs - azharcs
http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2008/12/rumors-of-upcoming-microsoft-cut-backs.html
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mynameishere
I used to read mimimsft all the time, not because of the blogger (who is a
little repetitive in his calls for layoffs) but the comment section, which is
consistently entertaining.

And, of course, MSFT doesn't need all its employees. Really, Windows and
Office should go into permanent maintence mode, just have security updates,
and knock off 5000 people. MSFT should focus on new markets, developing xbox,
and transition to business services like IBM.

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brandonkm
Of course Microsoft was going to make cut backs. I don't see how this was a
surprise at all. To be honest, I think cut backs combined with an increased
focus on core components of the company is exactly what they may need at this
point. Hopefully 2009 is a year in which Microsoft can deliver on a corporate
strategy that actually puts them in a more competitive position than their
rivals in this economic climate.

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puzzle-out
Microsoft has put a lot of effort into student recruitment this year. It will
be interesting to see whether it continues this drive into the new year.

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honeybee
Related: <http://davepeck.org/2008/12/12/meditations-on-microsoft/>

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unrealwh
everyone will be cutting back...why?

firstly, the climate permits it. i assume now that any company holds a latent
10% rif in good times, just waiting for a bad market so it can lose the 10% to
throw the market a bone

secondly, consumer/business software and the web are exiting the innovation
phase and entering the cost phase. yeah this will get all the yc types in a
tizzy, but its true. the consumer web has been "built" as far as 99% of users
are concerned, and most of the major platforms have evolved to the stage where
large headcounts are not needed. business software hasn't changed
substantially in years. the winners have been picked and now that margins are
shrinking, the way to a better top line is most easily achieved by moving the
bottom line.

oh well the fun had to end at some point. between moore's law making any idiot
a passable coder, oodles of great free and open code, and winner-take-all
economics, my opinion is that coding won't be a desirable job within a
decade...even in startup land it is about the gimmick more than the code these
days

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azanar
>firstly, the climate permits it. i assume now that any company holds a latent
10% rif in good times, just waiting for a bad market so it can lose the 10% to
throw the market a bone

With you so far. Although they'd have done better to perhaps cut that fluff
earlier on, I guess there were appearances of stability to be kept up.

> secondly, consumer/business software and the web are exiting the innovation
> phase and entering the cost phase.

Wait, really? Software companies have been exiting the innovative phase and
entering the cost phase all along. That companies are doing this now does not
indicate to me that there is no more innovating to be done. All that this
implies is that it is less likely to be _these_ companies doing that
innovating.

> between moore's law making any idiot a passable coder, oodles of great free
> and open code, and winner-take-all economics, my opinion is that coding
> won't be a desirable job within a decade

Sorry if I'm wrong, but this seems more than a bit trollish. There is more to
passable code than just raw performance. And all that free code just means
that we don't have to solve those problems again, leaving the door open to
solve different, and probably more difficult, problems. To say that coding
won't be a desirable job within a decade is to imply there are really only a
handful more problems to be solved before we are all done, or have only
problems that can't be solved with the help of computers. This claim seems
bogus.

