I felt compelled to write a comment on the Mini-Microsoft blog site today. There have been hundreds (thousands now?) of comments posted to the site. While it’s great to get so much interest and feedback this is a painful way to get it. Some of the posts are very heartfelt, some are sad, and some seem to be very cathartic. I know a few people that have been directly affected. I’m sure you probably do too. If not directly – as my blog post below points out – you will likely be affected indirectly.
To all those affected --- Keep the Faith!!!
My contact info is below. If you feel the need to connect I’m happy to do what I can.
Comment posted on Mini-Microsoft blog site today. 
While Microsoft has the right to what they need to for their business the recent cuts are much more than people losing their jobs. It affects the whole tech industry and deeply affects every community where Microsoft touches - even if they don’t have an office in the area. I wrote a blog post about this a few weeks ago - It was entitled "Welcome to the MotherShip Land - Please Stay"
The point of this blog post was more of a plea for MS to do what it needed to do, but to be cognizant that what they do has a wide ranging impact.
I worked for Microsoft for 5 years. I loved working for Microsoft for many reasons - not the least of which was the pride that we were doing a lot of good. Some may disagree with this point, but I beg to differ with them. I worked on the partner team and focused on helping partners grow their business. Yes, Microsoft benefited too, but most important was the fact that we were helping customers around the world.
I'm not naive enough to think this day could not have come. However, I do think it could have been handled differently. Hindsight is 20-20 and I'm sure there will be many, many arm chair quarterbacks evaluating and commenting on this one.
My suggestion to all those affected --- Keep the Faith! There are things out there. I know - I was laid off from Open Text in Nov 2008. I have spoken to numerous companies - SI's, ISV's, vendors and consulting firms. There are things out there. Keep the Faith.
Feel free to contact me directly via e-mail: jeff_shuey@hotmail.com or follow me on Twitter (@jshuey) or find me on Facebook and LinkedIn (Jeff Shuey).
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I have spent the better part of the last 16 years working in various aspects of the ECM space. I spent time at Kofax, Microsoft, FileNet, K2, and most recently Captaris (which was acquired by Open Text in Nov 2008). Prior to that I was a Unix VAR running my own company. Follow me on Twitter, check my blog, or find me on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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