I just started working for Microsoft so that I can be a voice inside the company for startups. I'm forwarding this thread to my legal contact.

Was that really the prime motivator in joining MS? How do you mean "be a voice for startups"? Cool.

People usually cite this reasoning for joining the government -- an organization whose mandate is toward the greater good of its people, but I've never heard it applied toward a corporate entity, whose mandate is solely profit.

Would you mind posting a bit more about your motivations and thinking? I would really like to hear.

Here's some more info: http://jf.posterous.com/after-5-years-of-using-linux-and-mac...

Joel sounds like he's replacing Don Dodge.

I was not hired to replace Don Dodge. I was hired because the person who previously held my role moved internally.

I actually don't know much about Don Dodge - I haven't met him yet. All that I know is that he is well liked and respected.

I can only hope to earn a similar level of respect from the startup community.

were you hired, or were you moved internally?

Its cool that they have someone devoted to worrying about these issues.

I was hired: http://www.linkedin.com/in/joelfranusic

Sounds like a better role though, not necessarily pushing Microsoft products.

So Microsoft VPs want to find out why people do not accept their products. Could be a good thing, if they would then insist on improvement of the products guided by the data that the "dev evangelist" provides. You, though, make it sound like it's a bad thing. Care to explain?

I've already started to have conversations inside Microsoft about why startups in the Silicon Valley don't want (or need) to use Microsoft products.

What an excellent place to start (this thread/problem). This certainly requires some diplomacy.

A reasonable person might conclude that they could have more influence over the industry in 4 years at Microsoft than in 2-3 more small startups.

Cool, I hope you keep visiting HN often to stay in touch with the start up scene here.

You can count on it!

I agree. Its highly unlikely that this was done on purpose with complete transparency to higher management. But I still wonder how the manager or the manager's manager of the project didn't see this happening. I am pretty sure the team and their 1 or 2 levels up researched plurk and its success in the region enough to recognize that it was copied. The product manager could not have missed this. I am sure a lot of people are under fire for this.

You forgot 4. Buy you out.

4. Microsoft could buy Plurk to save face.