Mr. Windows 8 ⇥ news.cnet.com

Speaking of Windows 8, Jay Greene writes for CNet:

[Steven] Sinofsky’s model stems from his desire to keep tight reins on complex development processes. But some critics say it can sometimes border on micromanagement. One current Microsoft executive recalled getting a call from Sinofsky a few years ago, questioning a modest budget request buried deep in a planning spreadsheet. That might not seem particularly extraordinary, except that the executive didn’t report to Sinofsky, but rather to one of Sinofsky’s direct reports.

“To this day, I don’t know if he was just trying to rattle my cage of if he really cared,” the executive said.

The more I read about Microsoft’s internal culture, the more it sounds like a bureaucratic administrative nightmare. Even down to the way Sinofsky talks about product planning (“We are adjusting to operating in a way that optimizes for executing within a planned framework.”) speaks volumes about the kind of work environment that permeates the company. How can anyone come up with creative and simple solutions for complex problems in that place?