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Scoble leaves Microsoft. But was he forced out?
Robert Scoble is leaving Microsoft for PodTech.net.
Scoble represented the new Microsoft, a company that is genuinely trying to understand and compete in today's reality of open standards and open source.
Unfortunately the company is also still suffering from a large contingent that has been brought up thinking of competing as waging world war 3. Much like a toppled regime, the old guard within Microsoft has trouble adjusting to the new reality and requires a "de-monopolization".
Scoble first and foremost is a blogger who isn't afraid to rub mistakes in his managers' faces. But his greatest value was in his ability to help in Microsoft's de-monopolization process.
Scoble was a loose cannon, and Microsoft management knew that. The blogger in the past year also has become less relevant as more Microsoft employees followed his lead and started writing blogs, often disclosing embarrassing facts about the company that otherwise might have received less attention.
As Scoble's popularity grew, he became harder and harder for Microsoft to control. It warrants the question: did he leave for greener pastures or was he forced out?
Silicon Valley Watcher Tom Foremski offers some clues that support a theory about Scoble being pushed out. Microsoft allegedly tried to control his travel budget in an effort to tighten the blogger's leash.
Scoble vehemently denies those claims, saying for instance that he's sharing hotel rooms at blogger conferences because: "I don't believe it's proper to waste shareholder resources if you don't need to," not because Microsoft refused to pay for it
The argument is weak to say the least – Scoble would probably be one of only a few Microsoft employees to follow this self-imposed thriftiness rule. If he'd want to make a real impact on Microsoft's bottom line, he should have started a campaign on his blog to promote hotel room sharing.
The truth probably is somewhere in the middle. Microsoft might be losing a highly visible spokesperson, but it's also losing a potential headache. Scoble meanwhile gets to use his blogging expertise for a company where blogging is core business instead of a mere communications tools.
There are dozens of ways to force employees out without firing them. Microsoft appears to have played that game very well.
Scoble posing at a Mac store... stirring more trouble.
Tags: Microsoft, blogging, robert scoble, podtech.net
June 12, 2006 at 06:50 PM | Permalink
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» Scoble deja Microsoft... ¿le invitaron a irse? from Silicon Valley Sleuth ES
Robert Scoble cambia Microsoft por PodTech.net. Scoble representaba al nuevo Microsoft, una compañía que intenta comprender y competir en la realidad actual de estándares abiertos y open source. Desgraciadamente, la compañía también sufre el lastre que... [Read More]
Tracked on 13 Jun 2006 08:40:06
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