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  • Tom Keane, Microsoft Cloud VP, Leaving After Reports of Verbal Abuse

    Tom Keane, Microsoft Cloud VP, Leaving After Reports of Verbal Abuse

    Tom Keane, Microsoft Cloud VP, is leaving the company after allegations he verbally “cut people down to pieces” on a regular basis.

    Keane was one Microsoft’s “golden boys,” a group of executives that have skirted and flaunted the company’s internal policies because of the results they delivered. Business Insider wrote a scathing report on these executives and the turmoil they created within the company. One such executive, Alex Kipman, announced his resignation in June after Insider reported on his history of sexual harassment, and now Keane is resigning as well.

    In a LinkedIn post outlining his departure, Keane focused on his accomplishments over the 21 years he spent at the company, including his work building out Azure.

    Today I am excited to share that I am leaving Microsoft and taking the next step in my career to build on the world’s computer. I could not be prouder of the last 21 years, and equally excited for my next journey to begin.

    While Keane’s post was upbeat, it’s hard to imagine Insider’s original report didn’t play a part. Sources told the outlet that Keane would “cut people down to pieces,” with one former executive saying, “I’ve seen him reduce people to tears.”

    Still other insiders said Keane was known as “King Tom,” saying, “People have to say the right thing and kiss the ring for King Tom.”

    Many had wondered why CEO Satya Nadella had not done more to address the company’s “golden boy” problem, especially after publicly taking a stand against toxic corporate culture.

    Perhaps these resignations indicate Nadella and Company are finally taking action.

  • Microsoft’s Alex Kipman Resigning Following Allegations, Raising Questions About Nadella

    Microsoft’s Alex Kipman Resigning Following Allegations, Raising Questions About Nadella

    One of Microsoft’s “golden boy” executives, Alex Kipman, is resigning following a scathing report on inappropriate behavior and misconduct.

    Kipman was once one of the company’s most powerful executives, co-creator of the HoloLens, and tasked with overseeing Microsoft’s mixed reality endeavors. Business Insider wrote a report in late May detailing some of Kipman’s exploits and his inappropriate behavior. In the wake of that report, VP of Cloud and AI Scott Guthrie sent an email to employees saying Kipman would be leaving the company.

    According to Insider, Kipman had a long history of inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment, racking up dozens of incidents. According to Insider’s sources, Kipman watched what was labeled “VR porn” in the presence of his team, including female team members. In another incident, Kipman allegedly kept rubbing a woman’s shoulders, despite her appearing visibly uncomfortable.

    See also: Microsoft Buying Activision Blizzard, CEO Kotick Likely Leaving Soon After

    Kipman’s reputation was so well-established that managers reportedly told employees not to leave women alone with him. One executive even credited the pandemic with making life more bearable, in terms of working for Kipman.

    “The best thing that happened, sadly, was the pandemic,” the executive said. “So we never had to interact with him in person.”

    Guthrie’s email said that Kipman will remain for a couple of months to help the team’s transition during its reorganization. The email said nothing about the allegations against Kipman, only saying he was leaving “the company to pursue other opportunities.”

    The handling of the Kipman affair raises some uncomfortable questions for Microsoft in general, and CEO Satya Nadella in particular. Nadella has taken a very public stand against toxic culture, vowing to help root it out and change Microsoft from within. Despite those claims, Insider’s sources say Nadella wasn’t inclined to directly address Kipman, as outlined in this excerpt:

    A former executive who brought similar concerns to Nadella characterized his approach as: What’s something we can do to make it go away without making hard decisions? “He doesn’t like conflict,” the person said. Misconduct is “not something he wants to hear about,” said another executive who worked directly with Nadella. “If he does, he wants someone else to go fix it.”

    The problems within the company have reached the point that the board ordered a review of its handling of various investigations, including the one surrounding Bill Gates. The board hoped to provide transparency about “the effectiveness of the company’s workplace sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies, training, and related policies.”

    In the meantime, employees within the company are growing tired of things not changing.

    “The gilding on the reputation of the culture change has worn off,” a woman who works directly with Nadella told Insider. “It’s actually quite tarnished.”

  • HoloLens Creator Alex Kipman Says Smartphones are Dead

    HoloLens Creator Alex Kipman Says Smartphones are Dead

    “The phone is already dead. People just haven’t realized,” said Alex Kipman, the creator of Microsoft’s augmented reality headset HoloLens, in an interview with Bloomberg. Kipman added that their augmented reality headset will soon take the place of smartphones everywhere. This was backed by a statement made by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella that said they may be releasing phones “that don’t look like phones.”

    While these claims may sound a bit radical now, it’s not unlikely to happen in the near future. Aside from Microsoft, companies like Apple are also known to be performing studies on how to make better use of mixed reality in some of their projects. Details of the study and progress of their studies, however, have yet to be shared with the public.

    Microsoft is one of the tech brands who are more open about their standpoint on mixed reality and how it can be fully incorporated into some consumer devices. Currently, Microsoft is preparing to launch their latest operating system, the Windows 10 Creators Update, that is equipped with tools that are designed to “spark and unleash creativity” through the use of mixed reality and 3D content. These recent innovations will definitely highlight the need for mixed reality in some of our tasks like video editing, 3D painting, virtual learning, and more.

    In an interview with MarketPlace, Nadella revealed that while Microsoft is far from abandoning their mobile phone efforts, they are working on incorporating augmented reality into their newer mobile devices and software.

    While Microsoft’s Windows Phone global market share is down by 0.5%, statements both from Kipman and Nadella proves that the company is far from withdrawing from the race. With their Windows and hardware team now working together under one roof, Microsoft is certainly finding ways to improve the way they develop their devices in one seamless process.

    Microsoft is clearly hard at work as they continuously find ways to make mixed reality technology more accessible to the public. Alongside the release of their latest operating system, the company will also begin shipping mixed reality headsets for only $299. At that price, the company is offering one of the most affordable MR devices out there today.

    We can definitely see an increase in usage of mixed reality in the way we play, learn, and create. Only time will tell when we can start using this technology to make calls and send messages right from the palm of our hands.