Ben, James and I met up with Hugh for coffee and chat on friday and I asked him something I've been meaning to ask him for a while - he called it the Microsoft question. For an advertising guy in the tailoring and wine business he has an unhealthy/healthy (delete as appropriate) interest in Microsoft. So I asked him why...and he answered over on his blog. His comments on Rebirth, Scoble and being nice hit home for me and I thought I would share why:

• I think Microsoft is at a very interesting point in it's history. We've shown an ability to dodge bullets, re-invent, catch-up and sometimes even innovate over the last 30 years ;). When a company is small those things are all relatively easy if you have the courage, tenacity and skills to do it. Microsoft has all of those but when you're a 75,000 strong company that can become a big challenge. Other companies have seen this almost kill them off but I'm a believer that Microsoft is somehow different and if I'm honest with myself, that's why I'm still here. Because the risk/reward is too attractive and being an underdog despite that size is attractive. I've though of moving in the last 2 years but what keeps me here is largely the challenge. Not the challenge to sell more stuff and make more money but to show that actually Google & Apple don't have a monopoly on cool and aren't the only innovators. I'm sure we'll never have the public perception of "cool" that they have but by telling stories about what Microsoft does, what we're doing and how our products can change lives and in tiny ways change the world I think we can begin to break down the perception of the last 15 years. I hope so. I guess what I am saying is I want people to love this company. I've never really thought of it that way but Hugh's post just gave me a moment of clarity (though Guinness extra cold may have contributed). To do that we have to want to be loved....which bring me to point 2

• Scoble had a dramatic effect externally on Microsoft but has Hugh points out, the internal effect was equally dramatic but incredibly hard to see when you are inside. Unless you step outside for a moment. It's almost unthinkable 2 years ago that over 3000 Microsofties would be talking to the public via blogs in as public a way as we do. That kind of transparency of a company normally takes 10 years and several changes of leadership. Through the courage of Scoble and others and the faith the PR folks and Steve Ballmer showed in them, we opened ourselves out a little more, offered an insight in to "the borg" and allowed ourselves to be loved. I'm not saying people now love us - far from it. I am saying that we give ourselves a better chance now by talking, telling our story and engaging in the conversation like never before. Blogs aren't the savior but in terms of helping people understand and learn to like Microsoft a little more I think they're a massive step in the right direction in showing we're human and we care. Which leads me on to point 3

• Being nice works. When I joined Microsoft 9 years ago we were a different company and in hindsight pretty arrogant. The DOJ amongst other things taught us some harsh lessons and if you read Microsoft Rebooted you'll see the changes that have occurred structurally and philosophically within the company. This isn't going to happen overnight and I'm not saying we're perfect but people inside Microsoft sat up and listened and changed. I think we're a lot less arrogant these days (though you're the real judge of that) and I think we're better at being nice. As Hugh says, being nice pays off. I know he's looking for a new laptop at the moment and considering an Apple. If that's what works for him then cool, I'm not going to abuse our friendship by saying "hey, buy a PC and make sure it has Vista Ultimate on blah blah". He's a smart guy and can make his own smart decisions and by respecting that it's way more likely that Hugh will continue to tell his friends and readers that Microsoft ain't so bad and little by little, peoples start to love us a bit more. This is what really matters...to me anyway. That's what'll allow us our chance to help change the world a little. (if this doesn't make sense, Hugh's Porous Membrane post should help clear the fog).

Wow, that was my longest post in a while but Hugh's post allowed me to express a few things I've been struggling with for a while so I'm glad I asked him "the Microsoft question". I should ask stuff more often.

Link to gapingvoid: "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards": the microsoft question