For a while, I'd post just about anytime someone I thought was a Big Cheese decided to move-on from Microsoft. For me, it was two things:
- A harbinger of change given some of the most loyal Microsofties who bleed multi-colored logos decide to pack it up, and
- Attrition is attrition - good, bad, or indifferent - and it was the right direction for company growth, no matter how influential the departed might be.
Then it just became too much to always note such partings. Lately, there's been more than one time I grumbled at someone to go check with That Architect or This PM Lead and they wander back to my office after a few minutes: "Who?"
I type the name into Outlook and get an error. Damn, I didn't think that they spelled their name funny or anything. So I find some random meeting with that person from the recent past and double click their name in the attendee list, and get a weirdly blank Outlook property dialog.
"Ohhhhhhh...," the realization hits me. "Huh. Sorry, I guess they've moved on." (I'll be damned!) "I'll track down who's handling their area now." (I'll be damned!)
Mr. Todd Bishop points out various interesting departures as of late and even further back:
- Hillel Cooperman who was a key figure behind the buzz-worthy dead-as-a-doornail Microsoft Max now runs Jackson Fish Market. Hey, be careful with your fries around this guy (long story).
- Walter Smith who has headed to work with Mr. Cooperman.
- As has Jenny Lam of Vista UX.
- Brian Marr.
- Alex Barnett (old MSDN blog, new bridge-preserving non-Microsoftie blog).
Congratulations all! Again, I'll go for any attrition we can get. But are the right people leaving vs. the right people staying? There does come a point where you're left with a bunch of risk averse troops and no heroic generals. And I'm not quite sure what kind of uninspired, mediocre results you get, but at that point you've reached a point where you're back to destroying the village to save it.
Hey, Jackson Fish Market is hiring. As are lots, and lots of techies. And if you're interested in, say, the local Seattle scene, you should do what I do and go to events like Ignite Seattle (one's coming up this very Thursday, April 5th) so that you can get outside the Microsoft distortion bubble and talk with other techies regarding what they're doing and what they are passionate about.
It might be A Good Thing for you and your post MYCD-self. You can at least build your work network. That's a big first step.
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