Microsoft

Really trying with D&I, a metrics-driven effort that really shows.

My group is way more diverse than any other software industry team I've worked with.

They're trying to be less toxic.

Satya has been telling Microsoft that our espoused values and actual values need to get closer in alignment for years. These values include manage/coach/care, collaboration, nonviolent communication, reduction in toxicity, and no more stack ranking.

It's probably a lot better than it was – I missed the Ballmer years – but it still feels like a competitive environment where people gossip about how much other people suck, screw them over to make themselves look good, and hyperfocus on negativity, all while seeming pleasant and friendly on the surface.

People don't say the words 'stack ranking' but they still stack (or bucket) rank.

Do away with performance bonuses. Even letter grades, like in schools, have been shown to be damaging to collaboration, feeling safe enough to take risks, and willingness to work on hard problems.

I, for example, have been burned by taking on a hard problem and only solving it "adequately." Claiming you want to create a collaborative culture and keeping that system intact is hypocrisy.