
Resignation letter from Microsoft Employee - gavingmiller
http://worldofsu.com/philipsu/?page_id=193
======
dkarl
_If you consistently deliver what the business needs most, and you do it well,
it’s impossible not to get promoted. People tell me this isn’t true, that it’s
all about the people you know and about “visibility.” I have no idea how to
consistently deliver impactful business results without becoming visible as a
side effect. I hate it when developers ask me how to become “more visible.”
They hate it when I tell them to “do great work.” They think I’m mocking
them._

You can think this way if your idea of "what the business needs most" is "what
currently has the sales guys in a tizzy." Forget about everything else. Oh,
and if your code only works for current customers, and has to have a bunch of
tweaks and fixes applied for each new customer, then people will think your
code is what _allows_ them to sell to new customers. No kidding. If you write
code that doesn't handle cases A, B, and C, then later you get credit for
adding "support" for A, B, and C and making it possible to sell to customers
X, Y, and Z. That's "visibility," because people from sales and marketing will
mention your name appreciatively at high levels.

And for God's sake don't do any work on scaling or reliability, because a
salesman never calls up your boss's boss and says, "It's been a long time
since the scalability of your systems scotched a deal. I just want to say
that's awesome and thank you." Wait until it breaks, make everyone thinks it's
impossible, and then fix it.

EDIT: In a healthy organization, none of this will affect who gets promoted,
but in an organization where people worry about "visibility," this is what
they're talking about.

~~~
kenjackson
Unless you're at a non-profit, revenue/sales/profit are what drives the
company. If you can duct tape a product that gets me $1B of yearly recurring
revenue then I will take that over the cleanest architected product that no
one wants to pay for.

In one of my other comments from a different thread I made the point that a
lot of developers don't realize that they should understand the business. When
you do understand it and the salesperson is in a tizzy about the "wrong
thing", you can point out, "actually, that's not the real revenue driver. XYZ
is. Why does the customer think ABC is? I'll tell you why, it's because DEF.
But by doing XYZ we can deliver ABC in six months time."

I think you'll find when you can talk at the level of business a lot of things
become clearer for you and the sales team.

~~~
anonymous245
False dichotomy ($1B vs zero).

Actually, in my experience, developers understand the business quite well.
It's the other business functions which doesn't understand development.

You _WILL_ drive out (and keep out) good developers if you fail to treat
developers as professionals whose inputs of how to develop software should be
respected.

~~~
sofuture
Yes, often businesses don't understand development... but...

Us dev's have it drilled into us time and time again that we are so special
and can't possibly be expected to participate in the company as a whole (our
time is too valuable! we can't stick to a schedule! they don't understand
software!).

That's a load of bullshit, developers don't get to wall off their private
kingdom of code, same as no one else gets to wall off their section of
responsibility and dictate outwards from within. Please stop furthering the
(on that note) false dichotomy that programmers are either: 1) mismanaged by
egregiously incompetent tyrants 2) given free reign to dictate to the business

Software developers don't deserve any inherent respect. Their value added to
the business does.

------
raganwald
_Turns out that there’s a strong correlation between a student’s grade and
their assessment of the professor’s abilities._

Very interesting.

 _I don’t listen too carefully when a poor performer tells me how awful their
previous manager was._

Wait, what? Are we confusing correlation with causation here? Let's say, for
example, that a manager tends to give female employees poor ratings (or
whatever BigCo calls a grade). Do we discount their negative assessment of the
manager? If there's a poor relationship between an employee and a manager, I'm
not surprised when there is negative performance _and_ a negative assessment.

Aren't we extremely interested in negative performers? We need to triage. Some
employees are stars and will be stars no matter how you manage them. Ignore
them, keep the kitchen stocked with whatever they drink. Some employees are
poor performers no matter what you do. Identify them and fire them
immediately, or better still leak their résumé to competitors, you get a
2-for-1.

The area of management opportunity are the "swing performers," those whose
performance can be influenced by management practice. Some of the negative
performers will be irredeemable, but some will be swing performers and it's
worth listening to disgruntled poor performers if you can find a way to filter
for swing performers in the hope that you can identify opportunities to turn
them into good performers.

~~~
endtime
>Turns out that there’s a strong correlation between a student’s grade and
their assessment of the professor’s abilities.

One possible explanation is that the student's evaluation of the prof is based
on how well he understands the course material (since the prof's job is to
induce that understanding) - which, of course, also impacts the student's
grade.

~~~
moonwalker
>Turns out that there’s a strong correlation between a student’s grade and
their assessment of the professor’s abilities.

In my experience with classmates, it initially might also look like this
correlation is true, however I think the hypothesis is a bit more involved.

In one case, one class was taught with quite easy grading policies and many
people ended up getting good grades - yet the smart students were unhappy with
the professor and lack of challenge. In another cases, I've seen quite
difficult abstract math classes and smart students would complain about the
teacher as well - because of personal incompatibility - the teacher's style
just didn't click with the student. And also, many times weak students would
express a lot of respect and positive rating of a professor even though the
teaching was over the top of their heads.

Yet obviously there were the lazy/less smart types who would just reduce the
challenge to complaining about the prof - yet they are probably likely to
complain about people in different situations (i.e. job)

------
wccrawford
I didn't read the whole thing... After I realized how stuck on himself he was,
I just skimmed it.

Do quirky people really brag about how quirky they are? Do they write essays
and call them farewell letters?

I've never yet met a fun person who goes around telling people how much fun
they are.

~~~
ximeng
I read the whole thing, and thought it was valuable. For example, little
snippets like: "Turns out that there’s a strong correlation between a
student’s grade and their assessment of the professor’s abilities." were new
ideas to me. I guess some of this comes from the management and leadership
books he's read.

I didn't think he talks particularly much about himself or how quirky he is
either.

Also interesting that this is the second person at Microsoft I've read about
this week complaining about benefits being reduced. Michael Kaplan
(interesting blog on internationalization issues at Microsoft besides) says
"Microsoft, multi-billion dollar company that it may be, has no spine
whatsoever to speak of.":

[http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2010/10/09/10073622....](http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2010/10/09/10073622.aspx)

~~~
cjy
A while back I did a lit review on the correlation between grades and teacher
evaluations. I remember being surprised at how little of a correlation
economists found between the two variables. Based on my memory, things like
teacher personality, teacher nationality, grade variance, and class size
matter a lot. Didn't pg have an essay about how "Turns out" is a euphemism for
I'm too lazy to provide evidence?

------
jaredhansen
This was the best thing I've read all week, full of nuggets of wisdom. Who
cares whether he calls himself fun or quirky or whatever else? You could get
about 80% of what you need to know about life and work from that one
collection of paragraphs, which mean's it's pretty worthwhile read as far as
I'm concerned.

------
8ren
> _Do you practice specific skills with repetition and intent?_

This troubles me a bit for coding, because:

 _There need be no real danger of it ever becoming a drudge, for any processes
that are quite mechanical may be turned over to the machine itself_ \- Turing
[http://libreamoi.com/index.php/why-is-programming-
repetitive...](http://libreamoi.com/index.php/why-is-programming-repetitive-
was-turing-wrong/)

\--

However... there surely _are_ skills in this process itself. What are they,
and can they be practiced?

Concrete example: if you keep repeating code, you could (variously) write a
function for it; a framework for it; a language macro; use an IDE that
automates it; write a vim/emacs macro; etc

So perhaps one specific skill is to learn how to automate things with a
concrete tool, and practice automating tasks (eg. writing a few vim macros as
practice, to learn the syntax, API, pitfalls, conventions etc).

( _EDIT_ : or, more generally, practice using your tools )

Deeper skills are recognizing repetition (and regularity in general), defining
it clearly enough to know what an automation would need to do; and know how to
verify that you're correct. Implementing it is a final step. Another skill is
in assessing whether such precise analysis is _worth it_ , given insufficient
data to 100% nail the task; that the task may change (esp with new data); and
of course that to estimate how much effort is involved in doing it "properly",
verses a "good enough" solution, verses not automating at all.

But how does one practice those tasks with "repetition and intent"? They
aren't like piano scales - each problem is unique and unknown. hmmm.

~~~
jcl
There are a variety of problem-solving sites you can practice on, if that's
the sort of thing you're looking for...

<http://codekata.pragprog.com/2007/01/code_kata_backg.html#>

<http://projecteuler.net/>

<http://www.spoj.pl/tutorials/>

<http://programmingpraxis.com/>

------
xpaulbettsx
I worked with Philip some, he's a really smart, interesting guy - I was
definitely bummed when I heard he was leaving. His internal blog at MS had a
lot of great advice for younger developers and managers, I managed to save it
off before he left and the IT folks ate it

~~~
js2
_great advice for younger developers and managers ... the IT folks ate it_

IT, ever shortsighted.

------
KirinDave
It took all my discipline NOT to write an angry resignation letter. In the
end, I didn't write any at all. No good can come from them unless they are the
most vapid and empty of sentiments.

Microsoft employees can be broadly classified in two current states of mind:
people who can't wait to leave and people who can't imagine leaving. I almost
never encountered someone that was in-between these extremes. As such, you
pretty much can't write a resignation letter that expresses meaningful
sentiment that doesn't offend one of these large groups.

------
sriramk
I worked with Philip a bit last year. He's (well, was) probably one of my
favorite MSFT employees - I don't think I've seen anyone else with such
energy. Big loss for MSFT, great win for FB.

------
jonpaul
He had me until: "What’s your final level at Microsoft? Please don’t say CEO
or Technical Fellow – I can almost guarantee you it’s not." He may be right,
but there are some ambitious employees at Microsoft who truly do want to be
CEO. If that's what they want, I hope they continue to bust their ass of to
achieve it.

I really don't like when critics put a cap on someone's future.

~~~
trickjarrett
Undoubtedly you are correct, someone else will eventually be CEO, thus his
statement is categorically false. However he is being over the top to make a
point, some people think it while knowing they don't work hard enough/care
enough to get there. He is saying people need to stop lying to themselves and
realistically view their future with the company.

------
SkyMarshal
_"Practice articulating positions you disagree with faithfully and
persuasively. Unless you can do this, you’re implicitly assuming that people
who disagree with you are idiots. Smart people understand why smart people
disagree."_

WTB more of this everywhere.

------
pvg
Two things struck me, one kind of minor - a Pentium 66? In 1997 my desktop
machine at my new startup job was a Pentium Pro 200. It replaced the SGI Indy
R4400 200 from my previous startup job. No offices with doors, though, of
course.

The other thing was, and I don't mean these questions in a derogatory way, how
do you start working for Microsoft in 1997, of all years. And how do you stay
there for 12 years running? What kind of startup employee will you be when the
only professional environment you have known is Microsoft? I'm not suggesting
that there aren't perfectly excellent, sensible answers to all of these, and
obviously his new employer thinks so. I just can't personally conceive what
they are.

~~~
LargeWu
_What kind of startup employee will you be when the only professional
environment you have known is Microsoft?_

Good thing he's not going to a startup, he's going to Facebook.

~~~
pvg
Facebook, behemoth that it is, is still a startup. We get a little carried
away calling every little personal website project a startup and perhaps
that's just right for the forum. But don't get tunnel vision. Facebook is a
startup.

~~~
codexon
Then how do we categorize a startup if not by age (Facebook is already 5 years
old) and size (hundreds of employees, billions in stock)?

~~~
dminor
If you have more money privately invested than money earned, you're probably a
startup. If you're searching for a repeatable, scalable business model, you're
probably a startup.

~~~
code_duck
Or, your business might be a failure, yet past the point of being a startup.
Clearly Facebook does not qualify as a failure, but they are not a startup in
my estimation. They're an established business.

------
skennedy
_Good ideas are a dime a dozen. Great ideas are usually laughed at. Neither
sees the light of day without you taking action._

While there were good stories and takeaways from his post, I keep hearing this
same mantra coming across so many would-be entrepreneur stories. Why do people
doubt themselves so much and not listen to their own ideas?

~~~
keeptrying
I think working in a corporation kills that confidence in yourself. It numbs
you somehow.

~~~
kenjackson
The issue isn't confidence, it's motivation. Ideas are a dime and dozen.
Execution on good ideas is what matters. Personally, it seems so blidingly
obvious that I wouldn't even think to say it, but clearly for a lot people
this seems controversial.

------
devmonk
It is hard to believe that someone that managed so many is focusing in his
parting words on (1) telling people that got bad reviews that they aren't as
good as they think they are, and (2) telling them to aim their sites lower
(since not everyone can be president). That's not the kind of manager I'd
want. There is nothing wrong with confidence and ambition; just redirect it
towards taking risks to accomplish tasks that no one thought could be done.

Those people complaining, btw, probably have valid complaints, regardless of
what they've output. Often people that have low output are a sign of poor
hiring and/or management. Why didn't he focus on suggesting changes to remedy
this?

In addition, he was ditching on the Litebulb mailing list, rather than
suggesting an alternative. What if he were to suggest that MS had 20% time to
work on Litebulb requests?

~~~
jdp23
the attitudes in #1 and #2 are very typical of Microsoft managers

------
AlexC04
Compared to the EA breakup letter the other day, this was a lot more fun to
read. What a surprising change to read a resignation letter that wasn't all FU
& drama.

------
Aegean
I liked this because he explains really well on how employees may be
misjudging a manager's negative attitude on them because they don't understand
the requirements of the business (or productization, for that matter).

It often happens that you need to do something negative such as giving bad
review, not approving some large piece of code which the employee thinks is
beautifully written. Or even just fire someone.

I've been on both sides, and now on the management side I see that employees
usually don't realize the truth, and consequently have hard time getting a
lesson out of the incident.

------
edanm
"Practice articulating positions you disagree with faithfully and
persuasively. Unless you can do this, you’re implicitly assuming that people
who disagree with you are idiots. Smart people understand why smart people
disagree."

This should be taught to everyone from a young age.

"Individuals are the sole cause of anything that’s ever happened."

The most inspiring quote in the article. Reminds me of the Margaret Mead quote
I have hanging in my room somewhere: "Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only
thing that ever has."

~~~
stretchwithme
good stuff

------
maxharris
_Individuals are the sole cause of anything that’s ever happened._

Exactly!

------
iloveyouocean
Meta-summary: Here is a list of platitudes which, if you completely
internalize and act on them, will lead you to be successful enough to leave
and get a job at Facebook.

~~~
n8tron
As well as just about any other S&P500 company. There's some good knowledge in
here.

------
erikstarck
...but trust me on the sunscreen.

------
kno
Probably the longest resignation letter I’ve ever seen

~~~
mcritz
One could call it “bloatware”.

------
mayutana
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and the randomness ensured that every
paragraph stands out on its own.

------
herf
Doesn't it show what's wrong with an organization when people's heads have
this much politics and organizational complexity in them? His advice is to
ship good software to get ahead, but his thought process is all about
everything else.

------
resdirector
"Use Occam’s Razor in interpersonal relations: look for the simplest, most
straightforward explanation that assumes the best of everybody."

Works in general, but not when you are dealing with an outlier.

------
markbnine
_Once, at a Pizza Hut counter, I noticed that all the pens meant for signing
credit card receipts had little flowers attached to their tops. Stuck together
in a cup, the bunch of pens looked like a bouquet. I asked the cashier whether
this was a new Pizza Hut policy. She said no – she had done it on her own.
What would you pay to have her in your company?_

Maybe he missed the point? People typically attach things to the end of pens
to stop them from getting stolen. Not to make bouquets.

~~~
talvisota
Every interpretation tells us something about the observer. This person
interpreted the change as an improvement at the counter.

------
euroclydon
Having a hard time reconciling the dismissive attitude toward soda theft and
the celebratory attitude toward punishment for cattle theft, otherwise awesome
essay.

------
korch
So this guy sounds like some office granny scolding the interns over trifles
of etiquette. He summed up his 12 years of working at Microsoft with a bunch
of smarmy anecdotes typical of office gossip & politics. Not a single mention
about software or technology in general. No penetrating insights about the
industry, products, the future.

I wonder about Microsoft's financial future if this is what their corporate
culture has been reduced to. Everyone is so high on themselves and on playing
Soap Opera over in Redmond that nothing truly new gets shipped.

------
klbarry
I very much enjoyed this, especially the part on compare with the best person
in the office, no one else.

------
tertius
Really needs a TL;DR

~~~
city41
Does the "TL;DR" sentiment really belong at HN at all? I'd like to think this
community is above that. The whole thrust of the site is about/for people who
aren't interested in taking the easy way out.

~~~
marilyn
I always appreciate the efforts of HN'ers who post a TL;DR summary. It's less
about taking the easy way out, and more about saving time.

~~~
raganwald
In that case, why is tertius _asking_ for a summary? If a summary is a good
idea, the keyboard can be found between tertius' chair and screen ;-)

------
VladRussian
>I’ve managed almost 150 people across dev/test/PM.

i stopped reading at this phrase. I was reading until it as i was genuinely
curious how an engineer could write such BS.

~~~
jmreid
I'd like to know what you think is BS about his letter.

