Beyond The Blue Badge

How Microsoft reimagined products, sales motions, and ecosystems to embrace the cloud Take a front-row seat for one of the boldest transformations in Microsoft's history—the journey to the cloud. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, hosts Becky Monk and Larry Herb (aka Major Nelson) sit down with alumni legends Steve Guggenheimer, Bob Muglia, Gavriella Schuster, and Karen Fazzio. Hear firsthand how Microsoft shifted from boxed software to a global cloud powerhouse, the challenges of building Azure, and the partner ecosystem that made it all possible. Discover stories of resilience, reinvention, and the drive to democratize technology—plus, how initiatives like Women in Cloud are opening doors for the next generation.

How Microsoft's campus informed innovation and culture The story of Microsoft's iconic Redmond campus details how a bold vision turned into a tech landmark. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, hosts Becky Monk and Larry Hryb along with guests Jon Shirley, Buck Ferguson and Lisa Brummel take you on the journey that for Microsoft became about more than just office space. It shaped culture, innovation, and community.

Microsoft's lasting legacy of social impact  Join hosts Larry Hryb and Becky Monk to discover how from its earliest days Microsoft built a culture of corporate and employee giving that rippled worldwide. With stories from alumni including Jon Shirley, Bill Neukom, Mary Pembroke, Patty Stonesifer, Dee Dee Walsh, and Akhtar Badshah, learn how the company's legacy extends beyond the technology it creates and manifests in lasting social impact that stretches well Beyond the Blue Badge. 

Paradigm shift offers tsunami of opportunities Before streaming, smartphones, and instant access to everything, there was a seismic shift that changed the world—and Microsoft was at the heart of it. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, hosts Becky Monk and Larry Hryb take us back to the early 1990s, when a handful of visionary Microsoft alumni saw the internet not as a curiosity, but as a revolution in the making. Hear Steven Sinofsky, J Allard, John Ludwig, Patty Stonesifer, and Mike Toutonghi recount the memos, meetings, and moments that sparked Microsoft’s internet awakening.

Vision, innovation and the power of persistence In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, hosts Becky Monk and Larry Hryb share stories from tech pioneers Rick Rashid, Dennis Adler, and Dan Fay as they explore the untold story behind the founding and evolution of Microsoft Research. From Bill Gates’ bold vision to Rick Rashid’s reluctant yet transformative leadership, discover how a small software company dared to invest in fundamental research—and changed the future of technology. Hear firsthand accounts of groundbreaking innovations, global expansion, and the “Impossible Things” initiative that helped shape today’s AI and cloud computing landscape.

Microsoft’s Windows bet and the evolution of personal computing In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, hosts Becky Monk and Larry Herb delve into the transformative journey of Microsoft Windows. They explore pivotal moments in Windows history, from the strategic shift to Windows to the revolutionary launch of Windows 95. Featuring insights from Microsoft alumni Brad Chase, Steve Ballmer, and Brad Silverberg, listeners will hear firsthand accounts of the challenges, innovations, and celebrations that marked the development of one of the most iconic operating systems in history. 

Inside Microsoft's expansion journey In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, hosts Becky Monk and Larry Herb delve into the captivating story of Microsoft's transformation from a small company in Albuquerque to a global tech powerhouse. Hear from key players like Scott Oki, Bob O'Rear, Jean-Philippe Courtois, Orlando Ayala, and Sanjay Parthasarathy as they share their experiences and insights on the strategies, challenges, and pivotal moments that shaped Microsoft's international expansion. Discover how hiring local talent, fostering cultural understanding, and embracing empathy played crucial roles in Microsoft's success across the globe. Tune in for an inspiring journey through the history of one of the world's most influential tech giants.

Behind the bets that shaped modern computing Microsoft’s early deal with IBM to provide the operating system for the first IBM PC is noted as a pivotal moment in the history of personal computing. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, co-hosts Larry Hryb and Becky Monk share stories from early Microsoft leaders Steve Ballmer, Bob O’Rear, Scott Oki and Bill Neukom of how the deal came together, the challenges Microsoft faced, the strategic moves made, and the ultimate “divorce” that established Microsoft’s dominance in the software industry. 

Season 8 recap with Sabine Morlock After eight seasons of producing the Beyond the Blue Badge podcast, common themes emerged during our conversations with dozens of Microsoft alumni. In this final episode of Season 8, host Sabine Morlock revisits some of the more poignant conversations and reflects on the lessons learned from this year’s guests. Enjoy!

A ride through technology, leadership and philanthropy In part two of this episode with Microsoft alumnus and Lyft CEO David Risher, he discusses future opportunities in the rideshare business and how he is inspired philanthropically—including an experience that led him to co-found Worldreader in 2010, an international nonprofit organization to get children reading so they can reach their potential, and #HalfMyDAF, an initiative he launched with his wife in 2020 to inspire more giving from Donor Advised Funds. 

A ride through technology, leadership and philanthropy  In part one of this engaging Beyond the Blue Badge episode with David Risher, CEO of Lyft, talks with host Rich Kaplan about his journey from launching Microsoft Access early in his career, to shaping Amazon’s retail success, to his current mission at Lyft to “get people out of their houses and bring them together.”

How Microsoft alumni can provide rocket fuel for the startup ecosystem Ken Horenstein cut his investing teeth at what is now Microsoft’s M12. He leaned into the “learn-it-all culture” to soak up the ins and outs of venture capital before leaving to start his own venture fund. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host T.A. McCann talks with Ken about his Microsoft journey, lessons learned while going it on his own, his current firm Pack Ventures and the xMSFT Syndicate, and the power that networks — specifically the Microsoft Alumni Network — can have to supercharge the startup ecosystem.

The intertwining of experiences, values and purpose Following an impressive career as a technology executive, including 14 years at Microsoft, Kevin Ackurst transitioned from leading organizations to advising them. As the founder of Gentle Giant, he now focuses on helping leaders navigate challenges and discover their purpose using perspectives influenced by his own journey. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, Kevin joins host Michael Rawding to discuss how growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa shaped his values and how those early experiences continue to guide his approach to both business and life today.

Insights from a founder and startup leader Some may know of Tom Button as a leader in Microsoft’s developer division and “Mr. Visual Basic.” Others know him from his role as Corporate Vice President of Windows Product Management. After nearly two decades of shaping products at Microsoft from the late ‘80s to 2007, Tom went on to found Mobilize.Net in 2012, taking the role of CEO and later chairman before the company was acquired in 2023. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Dee Dee Walsh talks with Tom about the lessons he carried forward from Microsoft and his insights for future startup leaders.

World Vision Singapore CEO shares lessons from the journey Benjamin Tan is the CEO of World Vision Singapore. However, before landing at the international relief organization that works with children, families and communities to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice, Ben’s career took an unlikely path from the tech industry — including two stints at Microsoft — to the airline industry to the nonprofit sector. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Michael Rawding talks with Ben about his career path, what he’s doing now at World Vision, and how the lessons he learned during his decade at Microsoft have served him well.

Leading with a customer-first mindset After 12 years in leadership positions at Microsoft, Melissa Mulholland joined Crayon where she now leads the company as its CEO. Crayon, based on Oslo, Norway, is a global leader in IT optimization and innovation guiding businesses toward impactful technological advancements for the greater good. In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode with host Sabine Morlock, Melissa shares her growth-mindset approach to life, strategies that have differentiated Crayon, and insights about owning your career journey.

The journey from tech leader to venture capitalist In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode, Sriram Krishnan joins host T.A. McCann and talks about his journey in tech from product and business leader to investor and podcast co-host. The pivotal points in Sriram’s career include leaving Microsoft in Redmond to pursue tech in the Silicon Valley, and later shifting from being an executive at X to becoming an investor. Today, he is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, one of the premier venture capital firms in the world. In this podcast, Sriram talks about relationships, taking risks, the mindset of being an investor, and tips for founders.

Becoming a Swiss Army Knife in his homeland of Costa Rica  Microsoft alum Kenneth Rivera has been in love with computers since he was 10 years old. He is a Costa Rican native and worked in the Microsoft subsidiary in Costa Rica where he managed a group of Customer Success Account Managers. Kenneth is now the vice president of engineering at Growth Acceleration Partners (GAP). He joins host Dee Dee Walsh in this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge and shares his experience working in a subsidiary, how he built his skills to become a generalist in a leadership position, the importance of networking and the value of the Microsoft connections. You’ll also learn a bit about the Costa Rican culture - have a listen! 

Discovering gratitude, purpose, and a lasting sense of fulfillment After 15 years in various leadership roles at Microsoft, Krishnan Iyer is tapping into his passion of helping others. Specifically, Krishnan is focused on addressing homelessness, poverty and social inequity. He serves on the boards of organizations in the Seattle area that are dedicated to these areas, founded Humanize Homelessness in 2018 and launched Dignity First in 2021. In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode, hosted by Rich Kaplan, Krishan shares how his journey at Microsoft and working with those less privileged have shaped his current work and helped him discover purpose, gratitude, and create durable happiness. 

The sometimes convoluted journey to success.   Dan Shapiro is the CEO and co-founder of Glowforge, the iconic 3D laser printer. Following the biggest 30-day crowdfunding campaign in history almost nine years ago, hundreds of thousands of users are bringing their creations to life with a click of a button. Prior to Glowforge, Dan founded multiple other startups including the bestselling boardgame in Kickstarter history, Robot Turtles. With an engineering degree from Harvey Mudd College, and his career start at Microsoft on the Windows 98 kernel team, this entrepreneur has a lot of valuable information to share including insights about the startup journey, how to choose a VC, build a team, and when to sell. Have a listen to this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, hosted by T.A. McCann.