I recently got to chat with Robert Scoble from PodTech.net and former Microsoft employee for a short while about how things have been with him and what life is like after leaving one of the worlds largest corporations.
MSBLOG: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
RS: I have a bio over on Wikipedia which is the best place to learn about me and my past.MSBLOG: You’ve started working for a company called PodTech.net. How has that been going for you?
RS: Very exciting so far! Lots of new people in my life, new cameras, new ideas and my creative juices are flowing big time. There are two challenges for me: 1) Get a show going. 2) Build a network of awesome videobloggers and podcasters.MSBLOG: Were your former co-workers at Microsoft surprised to see you leaving the company?
RS: Yeah, I shocked a few people, but many saw warning signs in my writing.MSBLOG: Do you miss working for Microsoft?
RS: Everyday. Microsoft is an awesome place to work because it has such a high concentration of smart and interesting people. Plus there’s always something interesting to do (last week Lego was on campus showing off their new robots).MSBLOG: Have you ever had second thoughts about leaving Microsoft?
RS: Not in the way you’re probably thinking. I do miss some things like the people and benefits. But I’m creatively alive now and getting to see things I wouldn’t have gotten to see as a Microsoft employee.MSBLOG: Is it easier for you to be blogging now that you are not under Microsoft’s rules / NDA?
RS:It’s both easier and harder. Easier cause I don’t have to worry about pissing off 60,000 people. Harder because I don’t have access to exclusive things like I used to.MSBLOG: Is there anything else you’d like to say that we haven’t covered here? Anything goes.
RS: Now that I’m way from Microsoft I’m a little more able to comment on competitors and partners. For instance, I think Microsoft’s OEMs are doing both themselves and Microsoft harm by not doing more R&D and being more aggressive. Getting a decent Tablet PC took years, for instance, and even now the drivers for many pieces of hardware for Windows Vista aren’t good, or even finished. That harms the industry and will let companies who are investing in R&D, like Apple, continue to take market share.I’m also a bit more likely to really use Google’s latest stuff and give it a good pounding (my corporate email, for instance, is now on Gmail, not on Exchange).
On behalf of MSBLOG I’d like to thank Mr. Scoble for taking time out of his busy day in order to do this for us. Thanks again, Robert!