She slipped out last Friday

by Michael S. Kaplan, published on 2006/04/16 03:01 -04:00, original URI: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2006/04/16/577083.aspx


As I hinted at the other day, Gretchen Ledgard is no longer at Microsoft. Since I won't be able to write about her as eloquently as Korby did, I won't try to do that.

But I'll mention some of what I will miss now that she is officially no longer in the building next door....

Ok, I'll stop now, like I said I won't be as eloquent as Korby -- but I agree with everything in that post he put up so you can just paste that post in here for the rest.... :-)

A colleague just IM'ed me and mentioned that although he didn't know her, it was like the public face of Microsoft recruiting was leaving. And there may be some truth in that -- there is not a ton overlap between JobsBlog and Heather's blog, for example. Even when you look at the just the recruiting posts.

I mean, even mini-Microsoft said farewell. How often would you expect that sort of thing to happen?

(I know a GM who used to joke about how wanting to be RIF'ed might be a worthy carer goal; I think it may be a worthy goal for those of us who are not as important to be thought of as bad attrition when we leave)

Sure, Gretchen and I will see each other again, we may even have lunch again some day if she can be talked out of showing up in velour jogging outfit (don't ask, it's not a pretty story!). But it won't be the same....

So, is the public face of Microsoft recruiting leaving? Well, one of those faces most certainly is. And if it's the one you know then it is quite the apple-cart upsetter.

Gretchen, I hope you will always feel free to IM me about some blog trick that you see here that you want to try out. Or if you and Josh are looking for a third wheel to go do Kamkaze shooters with.

And I wish you the best of luck -- may your real life exceed your dreams in all that you do. What does Betsy always say again? Oh, that's right -- Live it vivid, Gretchen!


# Gabe on 17 Apr 2006 1:48 AM:

"RIF'ed"? Can you please define that for us?

# Michael S. Kaplan on 17 Apr 2006 2:06 AM:

RIF == Reduction In Force, a layoff or early retirement that is (reportedly? usually?) associated with a settlement package that is luractive enough to make it worthwhile to accept the RIF.

I think they have come over in mini's blog from time to time, in the comments? I only know about them antecdotally; it has been discussed from time to time like in this article:

www.forbes.com/2000/02/07/dvorak_0207.html

but I don't know of anyone who was ever actually RIF'ed.... and the Forbes article clearly puts a much more negative spin on it than I have ever heard anyone use internally....

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