>Or did Microsoft totally mess up by hiring people that happened to be jumping ship from other mess ups?

I think they messed up in many other places, but not necessarily in these. Having worked for a real software company which was turned into a dot bomb and detonated at the right time, I have some insight into at least one case.

For the most of it, it was not the programmers who screwed up. It was the investors, for most of the time, who pushed the businesses into something they can't really be, not in all those cases, and pushing small companies into unhealthy growth. And there were, of course, technology con men (one from Microsoft, another one who came, screwed up parliamentarily, went to a better job).

It was the pressure of money itching in pockets of investors, who thought that they're in the middle of a gold rush, and buzzed around with hammers and stakes, trying to get a piece of action from any guy who seemed to be digging seriously.

>Of course, posting this message means I'll probably never work for them. But they should be more worried about that than I am.

I've heard that you can make good money working WITH M$, but nobody got really well of working FOR them. They'd be a nice notch on the belt - I only went as far as phone interview, and still count that among my bragging rights, but actually didn't exactly feel like working for a company I love to hate.