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?
>
>FWIW, all evidence shows that the best volunteers do it whether they get a reward or not.Perhaps MS has decided to test this. ;-)