Microsoft: change the world or go home

A new poster from Hugh MacLeod - I like it a lot and plan to paste it around the building as liberally as I can and to see what Mr Ballmer thinks of it :)

Hugh gives a few explanations for which are:

• Microsoft telling its potential customers to change the world or go home.
• Microsoft telling its employees to change the world or go home.
• Microsoft employees telling their colleagues to change the world or go home.
• Everybody else telling Microsoft to change the world or go home.
• Everyone else telling their colleagues to change the world or go home.
• And so forth.

 and then paraphrases with

Basically, Microsoft is in the world-changing business. If they ever lose that, they might as well all go home

That's what I say to people a lot when they said what is my job? I work for a company the changes the world. Maybe I drank too much from the firehose but I do believe it. I spent a day with Microsoft Research last week and that continued to make prove the point to me. I know not everyone will agree that we change the world for good (I'm expecting a tonne of flak on this post) but when you see some of the projects and causes that software touches you can't help but feel humble about it. I'm hoping to help our UK citizenship team get a blog up and running soon to show you some more of this.

Comments

• Anonymous
  October 31, 2006
  Changing the world ... are you sure ? ... LoL my friend! You need change to Linux. Those guys are changing the world, not Msoft! Sorry but open your eyes now or go home! Regards from Spain!

• Anonymous
  October 31, 2006
  Hi Linus..I'm assuming you're not the Linus given you're from Sun right? Sorry to disappoint you but yep, i think we do change the world in small ways but then so does Linux. Would love to hear your views on it though. Live and let live my friend :) Steve (just back from Spain!)

• Anonymous
  November 01, 2006
  I agree Microsoft is world-changing for business. Believe me that is just small stuff compared to whats coming. Oh, you didn't know. If you really want to see a the technology that will change everthing (the world), check out V2 at www.webkiller.net. Surprise, You're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy - -

• Anonymous
  November 01, 2006
  Hi DT - gosh "the most important project on plant Earth" - they's hyperbole for you :) It all seems very exciting but I couldn't quite get to the bottom of the what you're planning to do and when. Will my shiny new Vista PC just plug in to "new" network somehow?? Or will I need a new network card and more?

• Anonymous
  December 24, 2006
  Last chance to put your name in the hat for one of 10 limited edition lithographs signed by Hugh MacLeod

• Anonymous
  January 10, 2007
  I just read this story on Rick Segal's site and didn't know quite how to react. My initial thought was

• Anonymous
  January 14, 2007
  Last week I was listening to Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code Podcast over at http://dailysourcecode.podshow.com

• Anonymous
  January 22, 2007
  I've been asked what this Blue Monster thing is all about quite a few times recently so Katie suggested

• Anonymous
  January 25, 2007
  Hugh MacLeod drew this last year for Steve Clayton at Microsoft. At the time Clayton said, "I like...

• Anonymous
  January 26, 2007
  It's official - I have been bitten by the Blogging Bug. Came home rather late last night (after 12 hours

• Anonymous
  January 28, 2007
  It's been a long journey. There were some wonderful candidates, and I feel we have found an outstanding

• Anonymous
  January 31, 2007
  Gordon Brown talks about a "unique global company" and sets the scene for BillG to talk about a lot of

• Anonymous
  March 16, 2007
  I've been an employee of Microsoft for less than a year. My initial impressions are that I made a good

• Anonymous
  March 28, 2007
  I presented at Melcrum's Social Media Forum last week and it's since been getting some good coverage

• Anonymous
  May 06, 2007
  The latest Blue Monster lithograph auction ended today with a final bid price of £150 which is $1 shy

• Anonymous
  July 08, 2007
  A new Facebook Group for "Friends of the Blue Monster" is here. If you're not familiar

• Anonymous
  July 21, 2007
  Yesterday (and it feels so long ago), I was in Orlando. I got to meet Steve Clayton and he gave me a

• Anonymous
  July 21, 2007
  Yesterday (and it feels so long ago), I was in Orlando. I got to meet Steve Clayton and he gave me a

• Anonymous
  July 21, 2007
  This is really cool. A worldwide contest for ISVs called the ingenuity pOint . Software that can change

• Anonymous
  July 21, 2007
  This is really cool. A worldwide contest for ISVs called the ingenuity pOint . Software that can change

• Anonymous
  July 21, 2007
  Ask Steve Clayton about who is the Blue Monster , that makes me happy. Recently, the new one has been

• Anonymous
  July 23, 2007
  Reading Steve Clayton's post today on his offering a Blue Monster business card to Steve Ballmer prompted

• Anonymous
  July 23, 2007
  Reading Steve Clayton's post today on his offering a Blue Monster business card to Steve Ballmer

• Anonymous
  July 30, 2007
  Jakiś czas temu na sieci pojawił się taki mały stworek, którego pieszczotliwie nazywamy "Blue Monster".

• Anonymous
  July 30, 2007
  Jakiś czas temu na sieci pojawił się taki mały stworek, którego pieszczotliwie nazywamy "Blue Monster"

• Anonymous
  August 18, 2007
  So I ran across a blog post the other day by Steve Clayton. http://blogs.msdn.com/stevecla01/archive/2006/10/31/microsoft-change-the-world-or-go-home.aspx

• Anonymous
  August 24, 2007
  I spent a great day in Liverpool yesterday on business though trying to put something back in to my home

• Anonymous
  August 25, 2007
  I spent a great day in Liverpool yesterday on business though trying to put something back in to my home

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2007
  Voilà, c'est à présent tout ce qu'il y a de plus officiel, et je vous invite à consulter le PR correspondant

• Anonymous
  September 07, 2007
  How long before this becomes the new CIO? According to Steve Rubel (and I agree with him) "dozens

• Anonymous
  October 11, 2007
  I'm presenting at a blogging conference in a few weeks and as I thought about what I will say I started

• Anonymous
  October 11, 2007
  I'm presenting at a blogging conference in a few weeks and as I thought about what I will say I started

• Anonymous
  October 25, 2007
  First video interview I've watched on the web recently - not least as it's short, funny and you know

• Anonymous
  October 29, 2007
  1 year ago today, a blogger called Hugh MacLeod sent me (and 3 others) an innocuous email with this link:

• Anonymous
  November 29, 2007
  I went to a Silverlight Training this week with some other Microsoft evangelists. I was lucky enough

• Anonymous
  December 15, 2007
  A new

• Anonymous
  January 23, 2008
  I see at times comments left on forums from folks whom have a beef with Microsoft that we don't innovate

• Anonymous
  January 26, 2008
  These guys keep appearing in videos together. I fully expect to see Bill in the next U2 video. Lots of

• Anonymous
  January 26, 2008
  These guys keep appearing in videos together. I fully expect to see Bill in the next U2 video. Lots of

• Anonymous
  January 26, 2008
  The Sydney Linux User Group was on Friday night and Sarah, Amit, Rosemary and myself were there to answer

• Anonymous
  January 26, 2008
  The Sydney Linux User Group was on Friday night and Sarah, Amit, Rosemary and myself were there to answer

• Anonymous
  March 09, 2008
  Desde hace unos días estoy experimentando un poco con las nuevas herramientas de Expression Studio

• Anonymous
  March 09, 2008
  Desde hace unos días estoy experimentando un poco con las nuevas herramientas de Expression Studio 2

• Anonymous
  June 13, 2008
  This brilliantly titled book arrived at Chez Clayton today. Personality Not Included is by Rohit Bahrgava