11–20 of 56 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oof. What a sly way to imply the person doesn't have any real value to the company, MS truly be ruthless.
The way I took it was that she was producing a lot of value at Microsoft and they estimated the “threat value” was very low. In this case they were wrong, but could anyone have known?
What really struck me was how OK Microsoft seemed to be with her moonlighting for Valve, basically working for a competitor (albeit a small one) directly in a role that was also her role in Microsoft. Pretty much unheard of in FAANGs today. You can't so much as breathe on an external project today without FAANG claiming IP ownership over anything and everything you breathe on. Imagine working for Apple and telling yo…
Oof. What a sly way to imply the person doesn't have any real value to the company, MS truly be ruthless.
> I’d worked for Microsoft for nine years by then. My career was in high gear. A year earlier I’d been honored with the Market Maker award as the marketer who “added the most to the (1600+-person) Consumer Division’s bottom line.”
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oof. What a sly way to imply the person doesn't have any real value to the company, MS truly be ruthless.
I read this as hubris from Microsoft -- they valued the author's work, but the expected value of a game company is negative so that's how they played their hand.
I think it sounds like they were remarkably accommodating. I doubt you'd find many companies these days that would grant the same sort of deal.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I read this as hubris from Microsoft -- they valued the author's work, but the expected value of a game company is negative so that's how they played their hand.
I don't know if I read that as hubris. What else could they do? If they say "no," and this truly is something she's interested in, they risk losing her completely. I think it sounds like they were remarkably accommodating. I doubt you'd find many companies these days that would grant the same sort of deal.
What really struck me was how OK Microsoft seemed to be with her moonlighting for Valve, basically working for a competitor (albeit a small one) directly in a role that was also her role in Microsoft. Pretty much unheard of in FAANGs today. You can't so much as breathe on an external project today without FAANG claiming IP ownership over anything and everything you breathe on. Imagine working for Apple and telling yo…
The article mentions that John Cook and Robin Walker made a mod that attracted Valve's attention, and then they shipped TFC. That would surely mean the mod would've been Team Fortress for QuakeWorld, and not for Doom?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know if I read that as hubris. What else could they do? If they say "no," and this truly is something she's interested in, they risk losing her completely. I think it sounds like they were remarkably accommodating. I doubt you'd find many companies these days that would grant the same sort of deal.
Do you know a lot of people who report to directors at many Fortune 100 corporations? I'm sure if you are high up enough, and have specialized enough skills, many companies would grant the same deal because there are only a handful of people in the world that have been proven able to do that job. How many Bob Eigers are there?
I think many people believe this, but how do they know? There are ~7 billion people on the planet. You mean to tell me that only a "handful" are capable of doing a particular job? And not even "CEO of billion dollar company" but "Director of a 200 person org who attends meetings and makes decisions." Really? Only a "handful" of the 7 billion people on earth can do this?
Fantastic article. I think the title does it a disservice — I expected a disappointing chronicle of sexism, but it's full of details and strategy during one of the most interesting and volatile periods of PC gaming history. The article mentions that John Cook and Robin Walker made a mod that attracted Valve's attention, and then they shipped TFC. That would surely mean the mod would've been Team Fortress for QuakeWor…
Oh wow, the (now ex) wife of the co-founder. The guy who sold his stake in Valve before Steam was launched and then went sailing for 6 years with his wife. This paints a whole new picture of why he ended up leaving and it's fascinating. Grateful that she shared her side of the story. > The structure of the deal meant that we would be vested in Valve’s success over the next five years Great foresight.
Fantastic article. I think the title does it a disservice — I expected a disappointing chronicle of sexism, but it's full of details and strategy during one of the most interesting and volatile periods of PC gaming history. The article mentions that John Cook and Robin Walker made a mod that attracted Valve's attention, and then they shipped TFC. That would surely mean the mod would've been Team Fortress for QuakeWor…
Agreed - I thought there was a note about a correction at the end? Maybe she got them mixed up with Dario Casali and Final Doom.