Lots of news on TechMeme about Microsoft's latest financials. Normally I don't blog about such things, but Robert Scoble got me thinking....
The other day he was wondering about a potential brain drain at Microsoft. Here again, I'm normally not that concerned about turnover like this--especially in a tech company like Microsoft. There's lots of talent within its walls and much more that might join later.
However, putting these two stories together...if Microsoft's stock continues to rise over the short term, I can see an even larger number of people leaving voluntarily. At all levels.
For those who focus heavily on the stock price, they might see a rise in price as a good time to retire or cash out. How much higher can it get, they might wonder. For any company this question is always valid, but I can imagine it looming heavy on many within Microsoft. At younger companies, such as Google, in constrast, more people are likely to believe that the stock price has much higher to go so they'll stick out near term price increases.
All these stock thoughts though really miss the boat. It's much better to focus on how much more the company can achieve. Microsoft, Google, et al are doing well here. Lots more exciting things to do ahead. That's what makes it worthwhile to work.


Incremental Blogger