If you’re not at a loss after watching this you might be the type that loves musicals, really gets into the idea of Bill Gates and everything he’s done, and can sit there and state, with a straight face, that there’s no hubris at all in this video. It’s very true that Gates’ dream went on to become a humongous boon for humanity and that despite being a shy kid and spending a lot of time on the things he was planning and hoping to do that he created something that was undeniably capable of changing the world. But was a production like this really necessary? Paul Thurrott of Thurrott seems to think that apart from a couple of flaws here and there that only someone in the know would notice the production is just fine, as it does manage to convey a few things that go on at the company and what Microsoft is about. But apart from that it almost feels like one of those cheesy instructional videos given before a person starts a job so that they understand what they’re getting into. If you never had to watch one of those horrid videos count yourself lucky, but for those of us that did, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
I’ll agree with Tom Warren of The Verge that this video is very cringe-worthy since quite honestly it’s the kind of upbeat and applied smiles and positive attitude that makes it feel as though there’s something lurking beneath that you might not want to know about. But apart from that the biggest cringe, for me, is that it took eight weeks to make this video, eight weeks that could have been spent doing pretty much anything else. A public service announcement or something similar might have been a better use of the company’s time since quite honestly a lot of people get the idea that the folks at Microsoft are working hard and putting in long hours to bring us the technology that we use so frequently and think so little about. It’s appreciated, it’s valued, and no matter what is said it’s definitely needed in the world at this point. But creating a video that’s basically like a Disney musical set within a work setting was a rather strange call to make. It might be that Microsoft wanted to show that they had a fun side and weren’t all business, but this was a really weird way to go about it. Did we somehow transport back to a previous decade when spontaneous musical numbers were more accepted?
Alyse Stanley of Gizmodo doesn’t want to get too down on this idea so I guess I will in a hopefully fair manner. Obviously there’s nothing to say that the interns at Microsoft couldn’t or shouldn’t have done this since someone allowed it to happen and allowed the resources that were needed to make it happen be used for this cringe-worthy video. But with all that being said it still feels like an idea that was pushed simply because no one wanted to look like the big bad ogre for saying no to it. Allowing the interns to participate in this bit of whimsy was no doubt seen as something of a reward and possibly a chance for them to show that they could organize and create something that would alert the people watching to just what Microsoft was all about in a fun and engaging way. Last time I checked though people tend to buy Microsoft products largely because they enjoy the product and because it works for them, not because they were given a bigger reason to do so by a group of singing and dancing interns. Yes that’s very cynical but it’s also practical since as crazy as I like to get the chipper attitude of the bunch in this video seems a bit forced at times and kind of false in a way. Don’t ask why, it just does at this point and it defies easy explanation.
It’s likely that it did take a while to get everyone in position and to completely sync up to make this piece, but how much time could have been saved and how much more could have been done during those eight weeks that this was being made? How much leisure and down time, which is important to many workers after all, was sacrificed to put this together when a sincere announcement of what goes on at Microsoft and how hard they’re working could have been so much better? Even something with some genuine slapstick or edgy humor could have been a little more well-received since at this point anyone pulling for this video is still pointing out, in a very salty way at times, the fact that they are dishing on Vista and their phone troubles. Good effort, but it could have been so much better.
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