Key developer bids adieu to Windows Live

Niall Kennedy, who headed development of Microsoft's syndication platforms, has decided to leave the software giant to form his own start-up.

It was only a few months ago that Microsoft had hired Kennedy away from blogging site Technorati and put him to work on the Windows Live initiative, developing syndication technology. Apparently, things weren't happening fast enough for him.

"If we had the resources I truly believe we could have tackled the number of users Hotmail, Messenger, Spaces, or even Internet Explorer might supply, and then ask for more by opening up the platform to the world. I was able to borrow resources here and there, but there was no team being built around the platform in the foreseeable future," Kennedy wrote on his blog, explaining his reasons for leaving. "I could have stayed at Microsoft, waited for the other 85% of the company to ship their products, and then hope support for my group might be back on track again, but I didn't want to sit around doing little to nothing until Vista, Office, and Exchange ship."

Blog community response:

"A compelling vision would be great right about now. And not a dorky wired-up clipboard that has seemed to have dematerialized. A vision around making money and doing things that, if I told people sucking on a Frappuccino about, they'd say, 'Oooh, that's cool. When can I do that?'"
--Mini-Microsoft

"Of course, these are just the opinions of one Windows Live employee, but if Niall's statements are true across the division, then the executives need to do some serious thinking about their direction. If Windows Live is going to move forward and be a leader in the online services space, resources need to be readily available to the teams, both big and small."
--LiveSide

"The danger that the increased flow of venture capital money presents to large companies isn't just the increased likelihood that one of these newly funded startups will eventually dent those companies' businesses. An added danger is that the venture capital money is luring some of those large companies' brightest minds away with the promise of startup success."
--VC Ratings