As we reported earlier on Jobwire, OpenID thought leader Dick Hardt announced Friday that he has joined Microsoft. Hardt's hire will be added to a recent history of the software giant making controversial hires from among its presumed opponents, advocates of open source and open culture. Is this assimilation or are we seeing a company change, with the infusion of new and different DNA?
To those who say he's sold out and "joined the Borg" (Hardt's phrase), he says "I don't think I have sold out... I was recruited to Microsoft because I am an independent thinker". Microsoft recently showed signs of becoming relevant to the next generation of computer users when it hired social network researcher danah boyd and long-time tech media trailblazer Jon Udell.
When boyd joined Microsoft Research this fall, people said both that it was "proof that pigs fly" and that it was a smart move towards understanding the web users of the future. Do these recent personnel changes show a departure from traditional thinking at Microsoft, or are smart, talented people "selling out"?
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It'd be great if Microsoft was actually taking steps to learn from the successes of others, however, my bet is on the cynical side.
Much like AIG, who goes around and takes over smaller insurance underwriters, slowly suffocating and stealing the life from them.....Microsoft probably is just soaking up the most talented bits and pieces from their competition, and gradually draining the usefulness and talent of these individuals, all for the good of Microsoft.
Check back with Hardt and Boyd in 6 mos to a yr, and see if they're still in the honeymoon frame of mind.
Posted by: Miragi | December 10, 2008 3:25 AM
If you read danah's post announcing this and why she was interested it makes perfect sense. She wants to do research a certain way and MS Research fits that bill.
Look, all of these people are bright enough that if they get lied to by MS, they'll leave and find something else. And as for selling out, when the critics start paying these people, they can call sellout.
Posted by: rick | December 11, 2008 2:06 AM