The one and only post of significance (i.e., ignoring the WordPress default “Hello world!” post) on a new blog called Just Say “No” To Google claims to be a mass-distributed email from the Microsoft email network comparing and contrasting their company to Google.

Life at Google – The Microsoftie Perspective

The following has been making the rounds on just about every internal email list I belong to in Microsoft. Here it is to share a little insight with the rest of the world. Microsoft is an amazingly transparent company. Google is not. Any peek is a good peek.

Many of you were asking for the feedback I received from my interview with the former Google employee I hired into ABC Development as a Sr.SDE. [...] Here is his take on Google’s environment as well as areas Microsoft should consider improving in order to be more competitive.

For instance?

3. What are the office arrangements like? Do you have an office or cube space?

Google believes that developers are, with few exceptions, interchangeable parts. This philosophy shows through in their office arrangements which in Mountain View are all over the map.

[...]

Google doesn’t seem to think that private offices are valuable for technical staff. They’re wrong.

After reading through the post, I’m amazed at how many of the comments wish all sorts of harm on the poster for daring to share such information with the outside world.

No Name Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 10:30 pm

What is wrong with you? Why would you publish this? This is internal only.

Thanks for ruining it for the rest of us.

[...]

Pissed off Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 2:30 am

Idiot, idiot, you should quit. You should be ashamed. Hopefully HR will figure out who the hell you are and can your ***.

A good move for the guy’s long-term career? Probably not.

…but it is a fascinating look under the hood at Google and into the zeitgeist of Microsoft.

[via Ethan Kaplan/blackrimglasses]