Microsoft in the Mirror: Nineteen Insiders Reflect on the Experience

Rating:
Summary: Insiders Insights to Microsoft
Review: As an ex-Microsoft employee I have read almost every book published about the company by both Microsoft people and external observers. This is the one I recommend to others who want to understand what it was like at Microsoft in the early years. This book is unique in that it does not try to "teach" you how Microsoft works, but rather it allows individuals who were there tell their unique stories to illustrate what it was like inside one of the fastest growing high-tech companies. Common experiences like how strange it was not having to beg for supplies or even ask permission to do something you thought needed to be done ("just exercise good judgement") ring true, as do the experiences of coming to grips with a growing company and balancing one's work and family time. Microsoft may not be like this today, but it accurately portrays the experiences in the early years through the first successful launch of Windows and Windows becoming a product that most of us use today. Remember these are the tales of people who had to explain to others that they worked for a small company in the Pacific Northwest that wrote software -- for Microsoft was not always the brand it is today.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't Put it Down
Review: Everyone knows that the culture and success of Microsoft is the stuff legends are made of. This book does an excellent job of looking under the surface of this technology giant to learn what really goes on behind the scenes. There are many books about Bill Gates out there, but this one focuses on the individuals who went for a roller coaster ride that not only changed their lives, but the world. For some it was like winning the lottery, and it's interesting to see how different people viewed and managed their sudden fortune. Everybody has a different experience, some are bitter and some enamored but I found all the stories very interesting and even entertaining. Carter did a great job of pulling in a mix of people and capturing the real story behind the success of Microsoft.

Rating:
Summary: Absorbing, entertaining look at Microsoft from the trenches
Review: I read this book because a friend of a friend of a friend is one of the "insiders," and I thought it would be fun to see if I could recognize his story. I didn't have any specific expectations about the book as a whole - and I was surprised to find myself riveted from early on. These people tell their stories in a variety of ways, and they all had different experiences at Microsoft and came away with different perspectives - but they all tell the same very human tale of making hard choices, recognizing opportunity, dealing with disappointment, growing up, clarifying values, etc. The fact that the context is Microsoft definitely adds an interesting dimension to the stories, but this is more of a generic character study of smart young people struggling with the big questions of life (like money - lots and lots of money) than anything really specific to Microsoft. Also, I have to say that they're not all (at least from their stories here) likeable people - but that just adds to the realism of the book as a whole. This is a fascinating book!