It was in fact killed by a bean counter in Oct 99. Three days later, Ballmer had received so many emails that his inbox was full and he reinstated the program.
http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~MVPProgramOct99Turmoil~People>Didn't MS propose doing away with the whole MVP program a few years ago?
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>FWIW, all evidence shows that the best volunteers do it whether they get a reward or not.Perhaps MS has decided to test this. ;-)
Craig Berntson
MCSD, Microsoft .Net MVP, Grape City Community Influencer