Exit Interview with Scoble 97
capt turnpike writes "It's no secret that Windows technology evangelist Robert Scoble (of Scobelizer blogging fame) is leaving Microsoft for a startup, but Microsoft Watch's Mary Jo Foley has the first exit interview with Scoble. Topics range from what Microsoft could have done to keep him spreading the word and building out MS's Channel 9 community site, where he sees MS going and more. From the article: 'There were times when I knew I was taking risks. I didn't know what would happen when I told Steve Ballmer that his leadership on the gay rights bill wasn't good.'"
Article text (Score:2, Informative)
By Mary Jo Foley
Microsoft tech evangelist and alpha blogger Robert Scoble talks about everything from his tensest moments at Microsoft, to what Microsoft could have done to keep him, as he prepares to leave the Redmond software maker and join startup PodTech.Net.
The Scobleizer hasn't yet left the building. But he will be doing so soon.
On June 10, word began to leak across the blogosphere that Robert Scoble, Windows technology evangelist and well-known Microsoft blogger, had decided to leave the Microsoft mothership and join startup PodTech.Net.
Scoble "swallowed the Red Pill" joined Microsoft in 2003. Scoble already was blogging before becoming a Softie. But he rose to prominence because of the blogging he did once he got to Redmond. Scoble was instrumental in helping Microsoft build out its Channel 9 community site. Earlier this year, Scoble and co-author Shel Israel published Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing the Way Business Talk with Customers.
We had a chance to ask Scoble five final questions via e-mail. (We threw in a sixth bonus question, for good measure.) Here is the transcript of our last convo with Scoble as a Microsoft employee.
Q: What was your biggest surprise about working at Microsoft?
A: That they'd really just let me walk around with a camcorder without having a PR person or a lawyer along. Even after quitting I have the entire run of the place. That's not typical even in the technology world. At Apple my brother-in-law's badge only works in his building.
Another surprise? That every bad decision that I thought was bad had a logical explanation behind it. I didn't always agree with the decisions but there was always a decent thought process behind every decision and, most of the time, after hearing the circumstances behind a decision I usually came to the same conclusion that they did. It's not easy building software that hundreds of millions of people use.
Q: Did you ever think you'd be fired? What was the closest you came to it? (I was betting, myself, you'd be fired before you'd quit.)
A: There were times when I knew I was taking risks. I didn't know what would happen when I told Steve Ballmer that his leadership on the gay rights bill wasn't good. When he changed his mind within a week that impressed me a lot. Since then I've learned that great leaders listen more than they talk. It's a skill you rarely think about or talk about in the press.
Actually, I broke a few rules. I wasn't supposed to talk to reporters and I always did anyway. But I was scared about that in the first year.
Q: Do you think Microsoft is leading/following/holding steady in terms of adopting Web 2.0 technologies, like RSS, podcasting, videoblogging?
A: The market isn't going to let them go back and because the business opportunities are simply too large now. Translation: competitors are going to add those features and if Microsoft doesn't jump on board with new technologies faster they'll just be left off of the growth and PR trains.
Q: Who was the most interesting person you interviewed on Channel 9 and why?
A: I'd have to say Bill Hill (guy who runs the reading technology/font teams) He was a huge amount of luck cause he was the first interview Charles and I did but he was hilarious and had great insights. His personality is great, too.
Q: What would have kept you at Microsoft? Money? Relocation? More Channel9 cameras/staff? Free HDTVs?
A: Actually they offered almost all of that stuff (they didn't try the HDTV's) and it still didn't work cause I wanted to do something completely different than what I was doing here. I also wanted to see if I could build something from scratch. Yeah, money and being close to my son played into it too, but when I looked around I didn't see something that would keep me excited.
Now, if they had offered to fly around with (Chairman) Bill Gates or (Chief Technology Officer) Ray Ozzie for a year with a camera and personally document th
Re:Scoble Who? (Score:2, Informative)