Why Are Entrepreneurs Joining Microsoft?

Microsoft is far from perfect but I like a lot of what I'm seeing from them these days. Ozzie's attracting some very good talent from outside the company, most notably talent like Identity 2.0 dude Dick Hardt who just announced on his blog he's leaving for red-land and software giant Microsoft. (Here's a good article on the topic by NWW's John Fontana.) Identity management seems to be one area Microsoft's not been afraid to let others innovate outside the company and work hard on bringing in the talent. David Chappell, thought leader behind the Geneva STS (Security Token Service) Server, is another such innovator. I know Microsoft's making a hard press to bring in top notch talent as they've been working over a good friend of mine who's tops in the SOA space, and worked on him more than once to join up with Redmond.

Reaching for the cloud has got Microsoft looking beyond itself, for talent, solutions and technology. Ozzie's thumbprints are all over this strategy, bringing in outside talent, just like he's rapidly turning heads around to get services and technology launched in the cloud. Clearly he's aiming not missing the cloud wave of the Internet, but be a leader in the space rather than the late comer we've all come to know Microsoft as.

So why would an entrepreneur be attracted to work at Microsoft? First, independence. The ability to work on what they are passionate about. But more important, is the ability to make an even bigger difference in the world than you might at a startup company. As good as it might sound, this unlikely attraction won't stick if Microsoft doesn't put the money, backing and momentum around what entrepreneurs can bring to the table. You see, one constant about entrepreneurs is their unshakable belief that they can succeed no matter what. Doesn't matter how big past failures were or how small past successes might seem like after the passage of time.  

Entrepreneurs know they can take a good punch and get up fighting again. First sign of lingering frustration at Microsoft, and entrepreneurs will bail. It'll be easier to jump ship, head back out on their own or work with someone else to create what they are passionate about. So as I said, Microsoft shouldn't take the hiring of these folks lightly. They'll expect the support of Microsoft, and lots of it, to help their dreams become even bigger realities than they could on their own. 

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• General discussions
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• Identity 2.0
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• Ray Ozzie
• security token service
• STS