14 DAY TRIAL // In just 10 years since inauguration, Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Campus has grown to become the company’s second largest in the Unites States. Opened in October 1999, the campus in Silicon Valley was not only supposed to give Microsoft a foothold in the country’s high tech heart, but also establish its presence right next door to its competitors, including Google. Microsoft had had a presence in the area even ahead of 1999, but only through disparate offices. It was only a decade ago that the Redmond company opened the doors to its Silicon Valley Campus (SVC) in Mountain View, California, 700 miles away from home.
According to statistics provided by the software giant, out of approximately 3,000 employees in California, some 2,000 are just in the San Francisco Bay Area. "The campus is a physical manifestation of something that started 20 years ago with the first development offices," noted Dan'l Lewin, corporate vice president for Strategic and Emerging Business Development and SVC leader. "Human resources are Microsoft's key asset, and Silicon Valley has always been a hub for IQ and IP. It's an important place to us, and it always has been."
The company’s presence in the San Francisco Bay Area has also helped it improve the perception people had of Microsoft. Doug Free, public relations director for SVC recalled a time, just five years ago, when company speakers were greeted with boos rather than applauses. This has changed since then. "Five years ago, it would not be uncommon for me to be sitting at an event and, when a Microsoft speaker would be announced, people would literally boo," he said. "Today, we're expected at the major events, and we're welcome at the major events."
Work done in the SVC involved Microsoft products associated with the mobile market, digital entertainment efforts, and collaborations with Microsoft Research and local universities. At the same time SVC employees also contributed to the Bing search engine, while effectively working in Google’s backyard.
"I think the valley is going to become more important to Microsoft because the rate of innovation is accelerating," Free added. "With all the talent and great start-ups, much of the innovation happening around the Internet, social media and consumer technology is happening in Silicon Valley. Because we're a partner company, we need to be down here partnering with the next generation of companies."