Microsoft Research: Bringing Sexy Back

Everywhere you look on Microsoft's Redmond, WA, campus, there are bicycles and places to store them.

 

 Microsoft Surface

Walking the halls of Microsoft’s sprawling campus (many buildings, multiple locations), you’re struck not by an uptight atmosphere, but by how similar it is to other tech companies. The walls are covered in art, meeting notes and interface ideas (they have a lot of marker-friendly walls). Virtually every building has a vast commons area where co-workers hang out and hash out ideas. There are ping-pong and even pool tables (though I rarely saw anyone using them). There are bicycles everywhere, electric car ports and Microsoft minivan transportation. I saw in-house coffee shops and, while there’s no free lunch, all the drinks are free.
The Microsoft you don’t know, however, is nowhere more in evidence than in Microsoft Research. It’s a 20-year-old group where some of Microsoft’s most interesting — dare we say edgiest — ideas percolate and sometimes come to fruition. No, it’s not where the company builds Windows 8, but it could be the place where some of Windows 8’s biggest innovations begin. It was not the birthplace of Xbox 360, but Kinect had its germination there.  Lance Ulanoff


Microsoft Research: Bringing Sexy Back