My response to Microsoft
Recently, Microsoft asked me if I would be "interested in considering [them] for Full Time opportunities." This is the reply I sent back: I probably ought to say that I am interested in Microsoft for a full time job and that I'd love to fly up to Seattle on your expense account and then string you along for weeks, using your offer to bargain with other potential employers. But I'm not that dishonest. Instead, I'll simply admit that, while Microsoft may be a very nice place to work, it's simply on the wrong side of too many issues I care about (patents, open source, competition), and until Microsoft becomes a better participant in the software ecosystem, I can't work there.
I'm putting this text in the
Public Domain. That means you can copy it, modify it, or do anything else you like with it.
I realize that not everyone feels as strongly as I do about Microsoft. But if you do, when Microsoft comes asking to hire you, I'd appreciate it if you also sent them a response in this spirit. Maybe if enough of us do it, they'll finally change their ways.