iTnews

Microsoft fights back over innovation accusations

By Iain Thomson on Feb 5, 2010 2:19PM

Flacks respond as ex-employee goes public.

Microsoft has reacted quickly to a piece in the New York Times from an ex-employee saying that the company has lost its touch for innovation.

Former vice president Dick Brass wrote an op-ed piece in today’s paper lambasting the company for being a poor innovator. The vast bulk of company profits are still derived from Windows and Office, he said, and the company’s attempts to branch out have largely failed.

“Microsoft has become a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator,” Brass wrote.

“Unlike other companies, Microsoft never developed a true system for innovation. Some of my former colleagues argue that it actually developed a system to thwart innovation. Despite having one of the largest and best corporate laboratories in the world, and the luxury of not one but three chief technology officers, the company routinely manages to frustrate the efforts of its visionary thinkers.”

The company is bedevilled with internal politics and in-fighting, he said. While an employee, Brass worked on the ClearType and Tablet teams and found both projects were being stymied by other teams as part of an internal turf war.

He also points out that Microsoft ignored the personal media player market until too late, and the Xbox is an unexceptional games platform.

The piece brought a swift comment from Microsoft, with Frank X. Shaw, corporate vice president of Corporate Communications, rebutting some of Brass’ arguments in a company blog posting.

“Obviously, we disagree. But his piece does represent a good opportunity to touch briefly on how we think about innovation,” he wrote.

“At the highest level, we think about innovation in relation to its ability to have a positive impact in the world. For Microsoft, it is not sufficient to simply have a good idea, or a great idea, or even a cool idea. We measure our work by its broad impact.”

He said that in the case of ClearType the technology was now on every copy of Windows and he defended the Xbox, pointing out it was the first high-definition games console. However, the posting did not address the bulk of Brass’ article, which was focused on corporate politics.

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright ©v3.co.uk
Tags:
brasscompanycorporateinnovationmicrosoftpiecesoftware

Partner Content

Alienated from your own data? You’re not alone
Promoted Content Alienated from your own data? You’re not alone
5 essential digital transformation ideas
Promoted Content 5 essential digital transformation ideas
Don't miss Australia’s premiere IoT Conference on 9th June
Promoted Content Don't miss Australia’s premiere IoT Conference on 9th June
Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services
Promoted Content Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services

Sponsored Whitepapers

Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Don’t pay the ransom: A three-step guide to ransomware protection
Don’t pay the ransom: A three-step guide to ransomware protection

Events

  • iTnews Benchmark Awards 2022 - Finalist Showcase
  • IoT Impact Conference
  • Cyber Security for Government Summit
By Iain Thomson
Feb 5 2010
2:19PM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Microsoft nearly overtakes Apple as most valuable company
  • Edtech vendors invaded student privacy: Human Rights Watch
  • Heroku hackers got account passwords via OAuth token theft
  • Patch now against Linux 'Nimbuspwn' root priv-esc bugs
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

NBN Co sizes up six-figure customer exodus a year to fixed wireless

NBN Co sizes up six-figure customer exodus a year to fixed wireless

NBN Co to cut 160 applications under $200m IT simplification

NBN Co to cut 160 applications under $200m IT simplification

What to expect from the incoming Labor government

What to expect from the incoming Labor government

NBN Co's 250Mbps and gigabit growth is finally clear

NBN Co's 250Mbps and gigabit growth is finally clear

Digital Nation

Why do DeFi and DAOs matter to business?
Why do DeFi and DAOs matter to business?
CTO Juergen Mueller offers a glimpse into SAP's metaverse play
CTO Juergen Mueller offers a glimpse into SAP's metaverse play
Lendlease launches its own metaverse in Milan
Lendlease launches its own metaverse in Milan
COVER STORY: A Year in the Metaverse
COVER STORY: A Year in the Metaverse
COVER STORY: Data and IoT set digital agriculture on a sustainable future
COVER STORY: Data and IoT set digital agriculture on a sustainable future
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.