Microsoft Learning Addresses Offshore Rumor
9/17/2003 -- In an interview with CertCities.com today, Dan Truax, director of Microsoft Certification Business & Product Strategy, addressed a rumor published in InfoWorld's "Notes from the Field" column last week that Microsoft Learning had laid of 30 content producers with plans to move its content development overseas, “possibly to India.”
In a statement issued to CertCities.com yesterday, Microsoft said that the layoffs -- which were made in conjuction with the formation of the new Microsoft Learning group -- affected a number of job types, and actually resulted in a higher employee to management ratio. "This flatter organization exists to empower employees to make decisions and service customers," it read.
In the interview today, Truax confirmed this statement and commented further on the issues raised in the column.
“There are two things that are being mixed and taken out of context [in the InfoWorld article]," he commented.
"One of the reasons that drove [the creation of Microsoft Learning] is that there was a lot of duplication of content, duplication of sales...so it was really important to us to be able to remove that duplication," he stated.
"We have always and continue to have some of the content creation done by partners, and we continue to invest in our partnerships..to create unique custom content," he explained. "With our partner model, [the] primary purpose for [overseas content creation] would be for them to customize to local market to meet international needs, and not our purpose to have content developed to meet our U.S. needs."
He said that such development is not unusual for a world-wide learning provider like Microsoft. "As a global company, if we don't do a good job serving our customers' needs and they're asking for localized content...it's my job to make sure that we’re meeting all of our customers' needs."  -Becky Nagel
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There are 82  user Comments for “Microsoft Learning Addresses Offshore Rumor”
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| 9/26/03: Anonymous says: |
i kan prufreed, hooked on fonics werked 4 mee! |
| 10/1/03: Anonymous says: |
sing the song mo'money mo' money yeah mo money yeah |
| 10/4/03: Ajya from Inida says: |
Please don;t be jealous and work hard and compete with us. This is an open world |
| 10/15/03: Anonymous says: |
You know, there really was job duplication. They merged several content production groups and wound up with a zillion editors and project managers. That's why they laid people off. There's still a building full of employees in Redmond. |
| 10/23/03: Anonymous says: |
Recent years of IT outsourcing has failed in Australia. Outsourcing government IT has cost the tax-payers unforseen millions of lost dollars. Before outsourcing began they were warned and did it anyway. Now its finally emerging how bad the decision was and how services declined and valuable skilled staff were lost. Big IT companies made a push for juicey contracts but employed low-skilled and low paid workers (dressed in professional looking suits) to snatch profits but not deliver quality service. They will probably do it anyway, you can't stop it from happening as its a vote getter to kind of show how they try to forecast a cut in government spending on paper. Just study hard and get as much experience and be prepared to move from your current workplace. Only looking after core business can be a big costly and limiting mistake for organisations. Your career is IT and good bussiness is where you find it. |
| 10/30/03: InstantKarma from Your conscience says: |
OK guysgals...I've heard your crap now hear mine. I've seen the best and worst of both worlds so I'm pretty much impartial to either country. As far as lifestyle, I don't think I could ever get used to living anywhere else but the USA. Not too sure about politics and all, but the American people for the most part are a friendly bunch and are generally more open to other cultures. The freedom that we speak of is there yet somehow it is not there fully. I think the media throws a lot of propanganda and we need to realize that our TV stations and newspapers sculp our ideas of what's happening outside our borders. We assume so much about other countries from this propaganda that it fuels hatred. The same can be said for other nations. We are products of political agendas, capitalism, and religious fanaticism. I think we can all understand the concept that we as individuals want the best for ourselves and those close to us. Call it selfish if you want, but it's survival. So anyways, what if we can somehow embrace this emerging trend into something more positive. United we stand, divided we fall. There is a middle ground somewhere if we slow down to look for it. There is a lot we can learn from Indian idealogies and vice versa. By throwing mud, you're closing that door really fast. To start off, compare the infrastructures of both nations on different levels. Education is valued by both. However the reason you hear of there "hard-working" Indians is because it is a necessary evil called survival. Consider the population density vs. the # of employment opportunities. The mentality here is a bit more laxed, especially by the younger generation due to all sorts of distractions (i.e. drugs, alcohol, broken families, etc). Until these fabrics are not heeded, these trends will continue. The reason for this is quite simple. Any business will do anything to either find a better product and-or better price to improve the "bottom line." We think of losing jobs to other places but at the same time, the immigrants that live here buy expensive stuff here to take back to those places. On one end globalization helps us, on others it doesn't. I have worked with other people who are native to India and although their English isn't the best, some of them can single handedly replace an IT team because of the level of laxness in employees here. Although I hate to generalize, the theme most noted is an employee working just hard enough not to get fired and an employer paying just enough not have the employee quit. Their needs to more just distribution of economy and rewards to create motivation. It's hard to be motivated when you see your boss driving a $150,000 car while hardly doing much besides checking brokerage accounts online while you're doing doing the hardcore work wondering if your family can eat out this week. So, at the of me rambling on and on....I say this. If you want to create solutions, communicate about the issues relevant to you. Don't fight other peoples battles (i.e.-politics, religion, race, etc). There's plenty of server space for that crap somewhere else. Regardless of how bizarre you may deem someone's viewpoint, try to understand why they're saying what they're saying; that means not letting your experience of life as you know it interfere with a thought you can't comprehend coming from a "foreigner." Corporations are out to make money, simple fact. Deal with it, get on with your lives, and adjust with the changes wherever they may be. How come we're not complaining about K-Mart and Wal-mart "outsourcing" their workload to child labor in Mexico and others? Oh by the way, Made in USA was a nice slogan used but Usa is a place in out in the Far East. The items are manufactured there and the Made in USA labeled are affixed here. Technically they're not lying (about the labels), but hey I guess that's how the cookie crumbles. Show me an idiot-proof camera and I'll show you a better idiot. Relax guys, you still have a roof over your heads...this should bring a chuckle or two... http://www.funnyjunk.com/pages/burger.htm |
| 10/31/03: You're not an American says: |
If you were, and if you were not still living with mommy and daddy, you would understand the devestation that is being inflicted to many highly-educated and highly-skilled IT workers as well as engineers in this country. Listen jr., you can spout off about business making money all you want, but if Americans feel threatened that they will lose their jobs, then they aren't going to buy a whole hell of a lot. This in turn ruins profit margins for these large companies...let alone the mom and pop stores that will not be able to compete at all. Let us all know what you think after you've busted your ass for over 10 years in this field just to have the rug pulled out from under you. Preach to someone else you snot-nosed punk. |
| 11/4/03: Jason from Madison, WI says: |
Typical redneck who likes to keep the skills low, doesn't believe in continuing education, and can't stand the idea of companies/employees competing for money. Welcome to the world of global capitalism. You either put out or get shutout; it's all in your hands. You could either yap about and not change a dam thing or find a market somewhere in between where your skills could be utilized, enhanced, and specialized in a particular niche to the point where you become an indispensible asset who cannot be easily replaced, until then you're just another IT guy on payroll with a bad attitude. Change can either force growth or demise. If nothing, learn to flip burgers or pump gas well. Evolve knucklehead. |
| 11/15/03: Anonymous from Maryland, USA. Just outside the big mess. says: |
Microsoft is a milk made company. If we all keep buying from them, they will keep milking. Then when the XP stops working we will need to call India for permission to use it. Not to mention the Server2003 works the same way. What about National Security? The US gov. should not allow all this technology to go overseas! I remember the day when the Dept. of State had approve exports. Anything over xxMhz was a super computer. And we worry about cyberterrorism. Come one people wake up! |
| 11/18/03: Reason over Emotion from Indiana says: |
What jobs go to India (and other countries whose labor is cheaper than that in the US)? Jobs which can be done by Indians for cheaper -- and the expectation is that they will be done with quality. Time will tell if that holds true; I think for the most part it will, of course with some exceptions. What happens to US workers who are "displaced" (which is a euphemism for laid off or fired) -- they join the available pool of labor. Available for what? Hopefully, entrepreneurs in the US (that could be you and me, remember? -- and don't tell me its not possible, Bill Gates did it before he made it out of college) will use their imagination and drive to create new small businesses. Will they outsource to India? No possible way -- they need US workers who are right there with them because when you start a new business with ideas, you need collaboration -- the expertise of the US worker (and his proximity to the entrepreneur) justifies his higher salary (relative to the cheaper Indian). Sounds simple, huh? Of course I know what you're thinking: Where's all the entrepreneurs? They're out there -- we're out there, but the problem is that government (OUR government) makes it too difficult, too time-consuming, to confusing on how to start a business and keep up with all the laws and tax regulations, then if the entrepreneur ACTUALLY makes a profit, it gets taxed away. Why risk your money and time trying to start a business when most of the revenues you MIGHT get from customers goes to increasing social security taxes, medicaid, unemployment insurance, health insurance premiums, business insurance, etc. etc. You want the IT Industry (and every other industry in America) to remain strong so you have a job? Start electing politicians who keep taxes low, eliminate the complexities of the tax regulations, reverse the trend toward socialized medicine, and who espouse limited government in general. When the government spends more and more of your money, do you think it gets better at doing it EFFICIENTLY? Hell, no. THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T HAVE COMPETITION (so what could possibly motivate it to provide ANY service to the American people efficiently?), unless YOU'RE going to outsource YOUR CITIZENSHIP to India? In other words, move there. LOL, didn't think so. |
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