Barney's Blog

Blog archive

Do Top MS Execs Stifle Innovation?

This all may be sour grapes, but an ex-Redmond exec now claims that other Redmond execs are more concerned with holding back competition than taking risks and innovating.

Dick Brass (now that's a great name for a guy who likes to take shots) wrote an editorial in The New York Times arguing that Microsoft's biggest groups, Office and Windows, care more about protecting their turf than breaking new ground.

While this might seem like the typical complaints of an ex-employee, Brass seems reasonable, and his very public comments should be a wake-up call. With immense sales and profits, Microsoft should take more risks -- and, in particular, channel more of its R&D efforts into real products.

Is Brass right or wrong? Share your thoughts by writing [email protected]

Posted by Doug Barney on February 10, 2010 at 11:53 AM


Featured

  • Microsoft Planning Additional Job Cuts in May

    Microsoft's ongoing layoffs are hitting its home turf, with new notices affecting 1,248 people in the Redmond, Bellevue and Issaquah, Wash. areas in May.

  • Microsoft's Loop App Now Available in Preview

    Microsoft's latest collaboration application, Loop, is now available as a public preview.

  • 2023 Microsoft Conference Calendar: For Partners, IT Pros and Developers

    Here's your guide to all the IT training sessions, partner meet-ups and annual Microsoft conferences you won't want to miss.

  • Microsoft To Add ISV Designations to MCPP

    Microsoft's top partner executives detailed several changes it plans to make to the 6-month-old Microsoft Cloud Partner Program (MCPP).