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Moonlighting Devs at Microsoft adds to Marketplace and their Pockets

February 27, 2011 No Comments

Microsoft

Since we started our coverage on Windows Phone 7 we have noticed many devs that also work for Microsoft. It wasn’t too obvious that they were though. They had the same enthusiasm and excitement as the rest of the developers. I never really took the time out to figure out how Microsoft handled employees that wanted to develop for Windows Phone 7. An interesting article on NYT today explains how Microsoft employees get to keep the same 70% regular devs do and keep the IP. This is very different from how Microsoft has handled things in the past but its definitely a change that I think is working.

Microsoft has relaxed a strict rule and will let employees moonlight in their spare time and keep the resulting intellectual property and most of the revenue, as long as that second job is writing apps for Windows Phone 7-based devices.

The company is having weekly pizza parties for workers who pitch in to write code for the platform and is planning ways to publicize their work, including posters and awards of recognition, said Brandon Watson, director of developer experience for Windows Phone 7. Free Windows 7-based phones were given to all employees in the 19 countries where the phones are available.

The rule change at Microsoft change is a departure for a company that, like so many others, has traditionally wanted its engineers to give their all to their core jobs.

The incentive seems to be helping. More than 3,000 employees have registered to submit apps, he said, and about 840 have been published so far.

Source: NYT  via  WindowsPhoneSecrets

Tags: , Apps, News

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