

Laid-off Microsofties in Seattle offered free office space, Linux servers - bfioca
http://www.techflash.com/venture/Seattle_software_incubator_wants_laid_off_Microsofties_to_join_them38158639.html

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iigs
This is very clever, especially given that R&D was cited in articles as being
in the crosshairs.

There's a stereotypical Microsoftie that only knows MS tools and doesn't care
to expand their horizons or stay educated on new trends in the larger
industry. However, there's a lot of talent locked up in Redmond that could
really innovate if not bound by MS corporate strategy. Getting your
entrepreneur-centric product in front of these eyes is a brilliant idea.

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sh1mmer
I'd love to see this happen in the Valley too. The amount of companies who
have been bleeding the wrong people because of management politics is
astounding. I'd love to see some of those people use their packages to
bootstrap some startups.

If you par down your lifestyle a few months at corporate pay is probably at
least half a year of "ramen living".

~~~
alain94040
I'd argue that Silicon Valley is already doing this, on a larger scale,
completely decentralized and free-form.

If you got laid off and are even remotely curious about startups, there are at
least two meetings a day you can attend to brainstorm with fellow
entrepreneurs.

Office space and access to computers are not the issue (it's nice because it's
a way for people to meet in person, which is a great boost to the entrepreneur
spirit). Connecting with the existing entrepreneurs and joining one of the
many projects is the key.

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mckoss
I'm used to getting cursed for Outlook - not so much for SharePoint (in my
defense, I left SharePoint after V1 - there's lots I'd change - especially
cross-browser support and build a real framework architecture).

When people swear at me for my other products, I bring up that I was one of
the original Excel developers, and that usually absolves me of my subsequent
sins ;-),

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s3graham
Sharepoint! You f#@ker! Koss!!! _shaking fist_

(Sorry, that's lame, take my karma.. I couldn't help it.)

Good marketing though, since they presumably have a bunch of free space, and
offering one "free month" is costing next to nothing.

