Steve Ballmer To Give Free WP7 Phones To Microsoft Interns

Microsoft CEO Makes A Lot Of Interns Happy, Announces Free Windows Phone 7 Devices For All

One thing that they say about an internship at Microsoft is that you get full access to the Microsoft staff and you’re treated like an equal by the current employees. I’m sure that “treated like an equal” means that they’ll answer your C++ question after you get coffee for  the whole office and work on database entry. Jokes about interns aside, Microsoft interns got a gift today – Steve Ballmer is going to buy them all a Windows Phone 7 device!

During an “Intern Talk” (which, I’m assuming is where Steve Ballmer lets interns pick his brains in a Q&A), Ballmer was asked if interns would be among the 90,000+ Microsoft employees getting a free Windows Phone 7 device. Ballmer reportedly said:

Recruiting doesn’t have the budget, but I do. So, Yes!

Ballmer then allegedly said after (I’m assuming the interns took it very well).

That was the most expensive last question I’ve ever had!

Really, not a surprise Ballmer did this. Not only does he likely want to get as many Windows Phone 7 phones into the hands of tech-savy decision makers as possible (like people interning at one of the largest technology companies in the world), but we know Ballmer is big into companies “eating their own dogfood”.

Ballmer has said in interviews with Fortune magazine that his kids use Zunes over iPods and he admitted his kids used Bing, not Google. According to sources inside Microsoft, Ballmer allegedly says that when his dad was a manager at Ford Motor Company – they all drove Ford cars. So, that in mind, it’s not really surprising that Ballmer would want MS interns to be handling the newest gear.

Credit: Source.
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  • 1 Comment / Add Your Response?

    1. Aaron says:

      Interns at MS certainly aren’t stuck in the sterotypical “get your boss some coffee” routine. They work on product code, have commitments, and actively participate in team meetings. Though Microsoft products are certainly used the most, plenty of employees use competitor’s products, and both FTEs and interns can be seen using devices like iPhones on a regular basis.