Bye Microsoft (Again)
Twenty years.
Long enough to measure life in product cycles and org charts.
Last week, I closed a chapter at Microsoft that shaped not just my career, but who I am.
I joined as an engineer who was mostly curious and overconfident. I leave having had the privilege to build, break, fix, ship, and repeat across multiple waves of technology, often a few years before they were cool. “10-foot UI” before we were casually controlling apps from our couches. Online Office before Office Online had a name people recognized. Azure ML before AI and ML became dinner table conversations.
I’ve worked on things that quietly powered other people’s breakthroughs. I had a front row seat to cloud becoming real, AI becoming practical, and “data” becoming everyone’s favorite word.
But what I’ll remember most isn’t the launches.
It’s the people.
The hallway debates that were equal parts stubbornness and respect. The managers who pushed me harder than I thought I wanted. The teams who trusted me to lead when the path wasn’t obvious.
I had the privilege of working with brilliant engineers, thoughtful PMs, relentless sellers, and leaders who genuinely cared about impact. Together, we built products that serve customers around the world.
Twenty years is a long time. It also felt like the right time.
Microsoft gave me room to grow from an individual contributor to leading teams. It gave me mentors and lifelong friends. It gave me stories. The kind you laugh about later. The kind you survive first.
Leaving wasn’t easy. When you spend two decades somewhere, it becomes part of your identity. But growth has a way of asking new questions. I’m glad I said yes to them.
To everyone I’ve worked with, thank you. For the trust. For the arguments. For the shared wins. For the occasional chaos that somehow turned into momentum.
I’m proud of what we built. Even more proud of the people I built it with.
Onward.
See Also:
Long enough to measure life in product cycles and org charts.
Last week, I closed a chapter at Microsoft that shaped not just my career, but who I am.
I joined as an engineer who was mostly curious and overconfident. I leave having had the privilege to build, break, fix, ship, and repeat across multiple waves of technology, often a few years before they were cool. “10-foot UI” before we were casually controlling apps from our couches. Online Office before Office Online had a name people recognized. Azure ML before AI and ML became dinner table conversations.
I’ve worked on things that quietly powered other people’s breakthroughs. I had a front row seat to cloud becoming real, AI becoming practical, and “data” becoming everyone’s favorite word.
But what I’ll remember most isn’t the launches.
It’s the people.
The hallway debates that were equal parts stubbornness and respect. The managers who pushed me harder than I thought I wanted. The teams who trusted me to lead when the path wasn’t obvious.
I had the privilege of working with brilliant engineers, thoughtful PMs, relentless sellers, and leaders who genuinely cared about impact. Together, we built products that serve customers around the world.
Twenty years is a long time. It also felt like the right time.
Microsoft gave me room to grow from an individual contributor to leading teams. It gave me mentors and lifelong friends. It gave me stories. The kind you laugh about later. The kind you survive first.
Leaving wasn’t easy. When you spend two decades somewhere, it becomes part of your identity. But growth has a way of asking new questions. I’m glad I said yes to them.
To everyone I’ve worked with, thank you. For the trust. For the arguments. For the shared wins. For the occasional chaos that somehow turned into momentum.
I’m proud of what we built. Even more proud of the people I built it with.
Onward.
See Also:
Labels: വൈയക്തികം
Written by Santhosh Pillai
| February 25, 2026
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