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] This was the aftermath of Windows Phone, Xbox, and Windows build teams all merging together - lots of duplicate staff.

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] OSG Sigma (smegma?) PM here. I know a lot of guys in the "Quality" org were layed off. Good and smart people. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your families.

For those that don't know the new TLAs, OSG= {Operating Systems Group} which is Windows + Phone + Xbox platforms under Terry Myerson. (Sigma= Silicon + Graphics + Media)

So in Sigma, they are gutting the traditional test orgs. A couple months ago they changed the roles around so that SDEs are responsible for writing test code including WHCK/WHLK without additional headcount to do so. WTF?

At the same time, the whole SDET role changed from writing tests to using "telemetry", instrumentation and data mining to measure how successful the SDE work is. There is a whole "data scientician/scientologist" team - certainly not a "data scientist" team cause there is no scientific method being applied at all.

Its bullshit.

Data mining is very important and MS has squandered its internal resources like Watson, OCA, SQM, and WTT/Atlas for many years. So its actually quite wonderful to see some renewed efforts on this, but the approach is misguided. MS leaves its end-users with millions of BSOD every day. And guess what, we blame 3rd-party driver developers for all the crashes.

That's bullshit too.

Its the platform, stupid! And the platform includes test kits! Don't let driver developers write and certify shitty drivers. Add tests to the kits every month on patch Tuesday. Invest in good test collateral that doesn't take 2 weeks to execute and provide the source code for it so 3rd-party guys can debug their shit properly. Integrate all the security tests right in the WHCK and make them mandatory. That's what we need SDETs to drive.

SDET don't want to do data mining crap.

SDE don't want to write tests.

VP and directors need to find some balance with the approach of (re)-defining SDE and SDET roles. Its OK to have SDE write some tests. They're called unit tests. Its OK to have another team of developers write integration tests. Call them SDE or SDET, it doesn't matter, but don't ask the same SDEs to write the integration tests too. Its OK for SDETS to do some data mining and reporting but it just doesn't make sense for that to be their only job.

For integration tests, we need guys who are truly passionate about testing and breaking code. A lot of the SDE guys are not passionate about that.

We also need guys that are passionate about measuring and reporting on data. A lot of SDETs are not passionate about that.

Put people where their passions are.

Oh btw, has anybody heard if the test lab budget is going to be slashed in the next 6 months? Keep hearing that we're losing CSGs cause Satya is against vendors. How do we get quality without SDET and CSG/STE/OPS?

Thursday, July 17, 2014 10:40:00 PM

was told depth of management in OSG dev isn't going to change. Sinofsky already cut two layers of directors at the start of 7 and 8.

The Org flattening discussions have started in C+E. There will only be leads and ICs. No M1/M2s. Test and dev Leads will be made into ICs. Some of the DevManagers and test managers as well will be ICs. There will be no test teams. Devs will own automation testing as well.

Also, I want to second the person who mentioned earlier that we were fed a bunch of bullshit about "flattening the hierarchy" and then watched as they laid off nothing but SDET ICs and build engineers. I literally have not heard of a single lead losing their job without all their ICs also being let go. Read that again: We somehow managed to create fewer layers of management without laying off a single manager. Satya is a magician.


Terry Myerson - head windows Kevin Turner - At L65 I observed poisonous politics across the HQ that increased with Turner. OSG = Operating Systems Group SDET ICs = Individual contributors - no direct report Let me translate that for you Individual contributors = people who actually work Managers = people who work and on top of that are responsible when someone else screws up Managers of managers = people who don't and are not

Exactly, I keep hearing Terry wants it like this, Terry wants that. After being at Microsoft as long as I have it the exec worship crap makes me physically ill (literally) when I hear it come out of someone's mouth. Thursday
As soon as Terry took over Windows was my cue to leave. Everything that guy has touched has turned to fail. Why do they keep putting him in charge of stuff? At this rate, he'll take CEO from Satya and though it won't make any sense, at least it will be consistent.
Thursday

Terry can be a great leader from time to time, but he is also a bully. Senior people are leaving OSG rather than fight him. This is creating an "Emperor's New Clothes" culture where nobody wants to tell Terry when he's wrong. I hope Satya has the balls to take Terry down a notch, when necessary. Friday, July 18, 2014 12:00:00 AM

]
This country should only hire First Nations people. All you pilgrims should get back on your Mayflower and paddle back across the Atlantic.
FWIW, Satya Nadella himself was an H1-B at one point! He came to the US on a student visa and got an H1-B when he went to work for Sun Microsystems.
Another H1-B: Elon Musk. Notable children of H1-Bs: Steve Jobs, Barack Obama. Google, Ebay, Yahoo all founded by immigrants.If you have a problem with H1-Bs you have a problem with America.

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