As much as Microsoft would like the story to die, speculation persists about the circumstances under which Martin Taylor left the Redmond campus for the last time.
Conjecture at Mini-Microsoft’s blog suggests that Taylor might have been shown the door for having an affair with a subordinate. Other theories are floated, too, some less plausible than others. Meanwhile, Paul McNamara’s blog at NetworkWorld’s website plays up one of the theories floated on the Mini-Microsoft site, namely that Taylor might have transgressed by coining or endorsing the catchy phrase, “Hey Windows Live! Come pimp my office!”
That just doesn’t seem a likely reason for Taylor’s spontaneous combustion. If devising or approving egregiously tacky, insipidly crude advertising prose were grounds for dismissal, most of Madison Avenue would be chronically unemployed.
As inquiring minds continue to dig into how Martin Taylor became a former Microsoft executive, the blogosphere is in a veritable buzz over reports that 15-year Microsoft veteran Vic Gundotra, a general manager for platform evangelism, has agreed to join Google after spending a year working on charitable endeavors. A non-compete clause in Gundotra’s employment contract with Microsoft precludes his joining Google for a year, so Gundotra will help others while waiting for that provision to run its course. His future role at Google hasn’t been defined, but I’m sure they’ll find something for him to do.
Writing in eWeek’s Google Watch, Steve Bryant lists five prominent Microsoft employees who have defected to Google. He also lists Martin Taylor, but only to point out that Taylor left for other reasons and did not go to Google.
Twilight in the Valley of the Nerds 