I went back to work for a vendor that’s located at Microsoft’s Redmond campus two week ago. Here are a few things I’ve noticed:
1. As I’d expect, nearly everyone runs Windows Vista. I’m the only person in my group of about 65 people who still runs Windows XP. A friend of mine who is a developer there told me that his group still runs XP so I guess I’m in good company.
2. Few people run Firefox. At least I’ve noticed very few people so far. I recall reading a while back that Microsoft was blocking Firefox users from reaching the internet. I’m not sure how they would do that, but it’s not true at all.
3. You can now order lunch from your desk and it will be delivered to you.
4. Google seems to be on everyone’s mind. In the same way Apple and then Netscape used to be.
5. From the lunch rooms to the athletic fields to the perfectly manicured lawns, Microsoft has a beautiful campus.
6. I’ve never seen so many BMWs in one area. I see very few American cars, but when I do most are beaters.
7. I’ve not seen a single Zune in two weeks. But I’ve seen dozens of employees walking around campus with the white headphones attached to an iPod.
8. It must be a requirement that when you attend a meeting with someone from Microsoft, they bring their laptop along. This can be OK at times or very annoying when they’d rather IM or do email during the meeting. I just bring my Moleskine to meetings now.
9. In spite of the huge, sprawling campus, Microsoft can’t find enough space to hold all their employees. Many employees are doubled up in offices. Some people in our group at doubled up in very small cubicles.
10. The biggest change I’ve noticed in the short time I’ve been back is that the employees seem more grounded and less arrogant than I remember. Maybe it’s because many of the young kids now have spouses and families and are not looking to work around the clock like in years past. But it’s taken away some of the passion and excitement I remember too.
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