MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 31, 2000 — Last October, Microsoft moved into its new home in Silicon Valley, bringing more than 1,000 employees and diverse products and services together in one location. But the new Mountain View campus is about more than just Microsoft technologies — it’s a place where innovation, ideas and issues of the day are generated and debated by the industry during the Microsoft-sponsored Silicon Valley Speaker Series.
Beginning August 8, Microsoft will schedule monthly events to bring a mix of employees, partners, media, students and others together to learn and talk about the latest innovations and issues relevant to the Silicon Valley community. The audience will be encouraged to ask questions and engage in interactive discussions following the formal presentations.
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This is one way for the Valley community to get to know us better,
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said Carol Sacks, a Microsoft spokeswoman.
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One of my observations about the Valley is people don’t have a lot of direct experience with Microsoft employees on a regular basis. One way to encourage that interaction is to have people over to the campus to meet us.
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At the first event, Ben Waldman, who has been vice president of Microsoft’s Mobile Devices Division since January, will offer his take on trends for wireless devices such as Pocket PCs and mobile phones. He will address the future of mobile devices with an emphasis on how the wireless revolution will impact this emerging market. Waldman, 32, is leading the design, development and marketing of software for mobile devices.
Three years ago, Waldman founded Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit, creating an organization within Microsoft focused on the specific needs of Macintosh customers. Under his leadership, this division produced award-winning products that were designed and developed with Macintosh customers in mind.
“Rather than simply porting our Windows products to the Macintosh, we focused on understanding the unique needs of our Macintosh customers, and created products specifically designed to meet those needs,” says Waldman. “Similarly, Pocket PC and mobile phone customers have different needs and different expectations than PC customers, and so again, our focus is on delivering products specifically tailored to those needs and expectations.”
“The mobile devices division is intensely focused on the company’s core mission to empower people through great software — anytime, any place and from any device,” he added. “We’re very excited about delivering innovative products to our customers that will enable them to do things they could never do before, to access information and interact with each other, more quickly, more easily, and, we hope, with a bit more fun!”
The speaker series will not be limited to Microsoft executives. In the future, audiences can expect panels comprised of industry pundits and other executives from companies in the Valley discussing community or industry issues. The series is also expected to be popular with Microsoft employees at Mountain View, who aren’t always able to travel to Redmond on a regular basis, Sacks said.
The first event will be held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, August 8, at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Campus, Bldg. 1, Conference Center, 1065 La Avenida, Mountain View.
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It’s great for us to be engaged with the community and hear what they have to say,
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Sacks said.
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It’s important for all of us to have open communication and have regular opportunities to talk about what is going on in our industry and in our community.
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To register for this event, please contact:
Tracy Hirschler, Waggener Edstrom, at (425) 637-9097 Ext. 5144 or [email protected]
Nikki Wiebe, Waggener Edstrom, at (425) 637-9097 Ext. 5178 or [email protected]
