Darryl Taft has done his usual excellent job ferreting out the real tasty morsels in Redmond – and here is a huge story: Microsofts Server and Tools Rudder-less.
Eric Rudder, one of the more productive executives at Microsoft, has been relieved of his duties in the Windows and Tools division and has been kicked upstairs to be an … amorphous blob …. sorry, “to report directly to Microsoft chairman Bill Gates on setting the companys overall technical vision.”. Hey, doesnt Ray Ozzie, the new CTO do that ?
Darryl then goes on to note:
“Meanwhile, sources said upon hearing the news last month Rudders reaction was volatile despite his new position being viewed by many as possibly a period of preparation to succeed Gates in setting the companys technology vision down the road.”
Yeah, Eric, join Dr. David Fulton, Dave Cutler, Brad Silverberg, and your successor – Bob Muglia as Redmondnian luminaries who dared to shine a bit too brightly, to approach the Microsoft Sun Gog in inadvertently Icarian tragic fashion – and like fireflies got bottled by The Boss.
Darryl also initimates:
“Rudder has received rave reviews from peers for having set the tone that many expect Muglia to follow for the division.”
Yes, Bob Muglia also has great people skills and has performed the thankless tasks at Microsoft. He was the executive that got the stray development cats to come under the Visual Studio fold. He then got to fix the Exchange mess. And then he too started to shine too brightly.
Darryl didnt say it but David Coursey did:
“Microsoft Reorg Needs Soviet-Style Display of Power:It would be so much easier to understand what happens at Microsoft if only its corporate headquarters had a big balcony. To announce a reorganization, Microsoft would hold a parade and wed watch who appeared to review the troops, Soviet-style. Wed note where each Microsoft leader stood, who was next to whom, and how many medals each wore on his chest. New participants and disappearances would be carefully noted. With this method, there would be no more wimpy reorganization press releases that tell much, yet reveal nothing. No, I want straightforward Kremlin-style displays of power: Employees marching by, heads turned toward the leaders in salute, product banners unfurled.”
Well it is a little late David, but you are getting some executive march-bys.
Note to Executive Recruiters, Headhunters, and Google:
Here are two of many Microsoft executives that might very well be persuaded to jump ship. Yes, Microsoft is making it legally and financially very hard to do so – once aboard the Microsoft Executive Suite that is when the real gang-chains are applied. But a lot of toptier Microsofties can see that the Windows centric, Allchin/Gates of Proprietary Vista is just not a winning design in an IT world of many very smart devices Internetworked and made highly interoperable.
Note to Darryl Taft:
Just a great story, cant wait for the next installment. Where was Mary Jo? … Oh, off battling the Web Too flu.
(c)JBSurveyer 2005