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Re:Microsoft's dystopian pitch for remote work by romanovcode on Friday November 15, 2013 @11:48AM (#6740415)
I think no matter what MS will do David won't be happy.

Example:

MS creates online-powered tools: David is not happy because it means MS is advocating ignoring everything around you while working.

MS does not create online-powered tools: David is not happy because MS does not create online-powered tools like, for example, google does.

Re:Microsoft's dystopian pitch for remote work by potatolicious on Friday November 15, 2013 @12:06PM (#6740557)
To expand on Apocryphon's point, it's not the product, it's the dystopian advertising around it. I don't look at those ads and go "oh goody", instead I go "oh God!".

Getting work done away from the office? Beautiful. Great. Love it. I'd love to be able to get some work done on the train, or waiting for a plane. I'd love to be able to shoot a quick reply to my boss while waiting to check out at the grocery store. That's empowerment, and I'm all for it. They could have created ads about this. They let me turn down time into productivity. Awesome.

But instead they created ads about how instead of doing things I enjoy doing, I can work instead. Missing your child's big moment because your nose is buried in work? Check. Ignoring your friends/date at dinner time because your nose is buried in work? Check check.

I want tools that let me more more efficiently from more places. I want tools that enable me to go to dinner with my friends and not have to look at my phone.

Re:Microsoft's dystopian pitch for remote work by Apocryphon on Friday November 15, 2013 @11:51AM (#6740445)
It's not the product, it's the pitch.
Re:Microsoft's dystopian pitch for remote work by eholder on Friday November 15, 2013 @12:04PM (#6740544)
As I noted in another comment[1], Google's pitch is this:

>For your business, this means every employee and everyone you work with can be productive from anywhere, using any device with an Internet connection.

>Free your team from cubicles

>Access your work from any device with a web browser – your computer, phone or tablet – and stay productive even when you’re away from the office.

>Need to attend a meeting from your kid’s soccer game?

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6740512

Re:Microsoft's dystopian pitch for remote work by Apocryphon on Friday November 15, 2013 @02:53PM (#6741735)
The ads with the silhouettes are a lot more in-your-face about fostering a lack of work/life balance, though. I wouldn't characterize it dystopian so much as it is tone-deaf, out-of-touch, and heavy-handed. Which is par for the course for Microsoft marketing. To me, it's less egregiously disagreeable than it is benignly mediocre. Oh MS, you're so corporate.
Re:Microsoft's dystopian pitch for remote work by kelvin0 on Friday November 15, 2013 @02:47PM (#6741676)
Somebody don't likey teh David much?