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September 20, 2008
PC? Me?
Looking back over the last week, two main topics have dominated my conversations.
Firstly, that strange campaign, where an unlikely pair awkwardly and unconvincingly pretend to relate to ordinary people, leaving many incredulous and some amused. No, not McCain-Palin ye jaundiced readers; I refer to the Microsoft commercials with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, and the subsequent “I’m a PC” slots. As an exercise in branding the Microsoft campaign certainly had one important effect – everyone was talking about it.
Secondofly, within Microsoft, more specifically within the SQL Server Analysis Services team, we have been much focused on the annual company meeting. I guess this also revolves around Microsoft’s sense of identity. My my, haven’t I been the corporate guy this week?
It still feels strange for me to part of something as big as Microsoft. When I joined the Analysis Services team in 2001, “Picasso,” as we called it, numbered around 50 people: quite the largest organization for which I had ever worked. Now we must be twice that size and we fit into an organization that has expanded at every level: within SQL Server Business Intelligence, SQL Server itself, the Server and Tools Business and Microsoft itself. Nevertheless, despite our huge customer base, and the cautious processes that surround so much of our work, “Picasso” on our best days still feels like a start-up. We still generate that edgy excitement within the team and, with some of our recent work, in the wider company too.
This was why we focused so much on the company meeting this week. We had the opportunity to demonstrate our latest innovations to the entire company; at least the 20,000 or so gathered in Safeco Field for the event. When I say “we” demonstrated, I should clarify - our Senior VP Bob Muglia actually did the demonstration. Some people really fret about doing demonstrations, especially in front of large crowds. Some people would be rigid in fear if they had to show their barely coded software, not even at beta 1, in front of 2,000 people, never mind 20,000. Believe me: having your Senior VP do the demo is even more nerve-wracking. On the day, he did a great job, to resounding applause from the crowd, and to the delight and relief of our team. Even Steve Ballmer called it out as one of the highlights of the meeting.
So what are we working on, that gets such attention? Needless to say, “it” is something incredibly cool. Pete Loshin will buy Vista just to be able to run it. More detail? I hate to be a tease, but at this point, I cannot say, because we are not talking about it publicly yet. No I will not even whisper it – I am being corporate guy this week, remember? We have to manage the PR, the image, and the branding – all that stuff that we are getting newly engaged with in our new campaigns.
I make fun of being the corporate guy, but I do feel quite torn about it. I did not go to the company meeting, but stayed back in the office and watched it on video. I am personally very uncomfortable with being in a large crowd with such a directed motivation. The techniques of bringing a common impetus to such a mass quite disturb me, however wholesome the intent. When the attempt fails and falls flat, it can be terribly awkward; yet, when the attempt succeeds it makes me uneasy to see how willingly we can aggregate our experiences and ourselves.
Do not think that I am not proud of working at Microsoft. The very reason I am there is because I admired the company’s drive and its unmatched ability to bring the benefits that I enjoy from technology to countless others.
In that spirit, I rather like our new “I’m a PC” commercials. Of course, some segments are a little precious, and some a little corny. Still, they do capture the sheer diversity of the consumers for which we cater: the people we have to think about when we are designing, developing, testing, supporting … yes, and marketing.
It is an exciting time to be doing what I am doing. Keep an eye on the Microsoft BI Conference in October – it will be fun to talk more about this after that even, when we will be showing our new work to you too. There will not be 20,000 at that event – we could only wish! – but the impact will be felt very much wider.
Posted by Donald Farmer at September 20, 2008 10:30 PM
