Spending some time at Microsoft
I spent some time at Microsoft this week, and I must say that I just continue to be impressed with them. I mean obviously the technology they come up with for us web developers is very, very cool, but more than that, their people and their entire culture is very impressive. At a place with such incredible talent and knowledge, you would expect to see some egos or arrogance (I've seen much bigger egos for far less substance at other places). But this group (at least in my limited exposure) just doesn't have any of that. (I'm sure it must appear in some form at times and places that we don't see, but it's clearly not the prevailing culture).
Everyone just seems to be focused on the *products*, and that is where their pride lies. Everything is focused on quality, and it is the products that they brag about (not their own individual accomplishments as is so often the case in technology). I'm not saying that Microsoft products are perfect, but it does really seem that they are trying to make their products the absolute best that they can. And if there's something you don't like about a product, rather than get defensive about it, they want to hear about it so that they can make improvements. I like that.