Senior Microsoft engineer jumps ship to Google

By Steve Malone

Posted on 7 Mar 2005 at 14:39

A senior Microsoft engineer, responsible for the development of the .Net web services platform, has quit to join Google.

Mark Lukovsky is the latest in what is becoming a steady stream of high profile engineers to make their way to Google's research labs. Earlier this year, two senior members of the Mozilla open source developers team, Ben Goodger and Darin Fisher joined Google to work on unspecified projects.

In his blog he says that he had become disillusioned with the way in which Microsoft had slowed down and that he became frustrated that it may take years before end users would see the fruits of his efforts.

In his blog he wrote,'being a 16-year Microsoft veteran, a Distinguished Engineer, key architect and code writer for windows, architect of the largest source code control and build system ever attempted, I deeply believed that Microsoft knows how to ship software. We know how to build it, test it, localize it, manufacture it, charge lots of $$$ for it, etc.....I am not sure I believe anymore, that Microsoft 'knows how to ship software''.

Apparently, Lucovsky was new to this blogging business and was, it seems, surprised to find lots of people reading it and responded. In a subsequent post, he backtracked somewhat saying that he was 'in no way trying to trash Microsoft' and merely states that ' in my opinion, software delivery has changed'.

Now it seems that Lucovsky is attracted to the Google way of throwing things out into beta and seeing if they fly. Of course, no one is saying what he might be working on in Mountain View. However, he does leave us with this teaser:

'Stay tuned. I have some other things on my mind, what I would like to see in IE7 for instance.'

Two Firefox developers and now this. What can it all mean?