Comment by kabdib

I keep coming here, writing a bunch of stuff, then removing it.

The author isn't far off. He's over the top on some things, but on the whole it's a good take on some of the reasons Microsoft culture is toxic.

My take:

1. The review system needs to be fixed. They have to stop losing good engineers.

2. They have to somehow get rid of a bunch of toxic people. Many of these are in management. It's hard.

3. They have to stop treating Windows as "the thing we put in all the other things".

Windows is a fine OS; it could be better, and the OP points out a lot of reasons why it isn't. But it's not a great fit for embedded systems, nor game consoles, nor anything where you're paying for the hardware.

But I keep coming back to the review system rewarding the wrong people, causing good people to leave. The underlying backstabbing and cutthroat culture needs to go; it's hurting the bottom line, and I'm surprised the board has been willing to let it happen.