Dan Fay | Microsoft Alumni Voices

Microsoft veteran Dan Fay made an indelible impact on the technology landscape as a member of Microsoft Research. From his early days in Germany to pioneering projects like Worldwide Telescope and Azure for Research for Microsoft, this exclusive interview highlights his contributions to science and technology.

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Dennis Adler played a pivotal role in shaping Microsoft's iconic products like Windows 95 and TrueType. From his early days in Los Angeles, Dennis shares his journey to working at Microsoft and “smoke jumping” from challenge to the next to solve problems and advance many of the company’s products to his final role in Microsoft Research.

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Photo courtesy of Dennis Adler

In 1991, Richard “Rick” Rashid was recruited by Microsoft to establish Microsoft Research. Despite initial doubts, he was convinced by Nathan Myhrvold and Gordon Bell to join. During his tenure, he emphasized the importance of basic research and its long-term value, advocating for pushing the frontiers of knowledge and the need for collaboration between researchers and product teams. During this exclusive interview, Rick highlights significant achievements, such as the development of a search engine and advancements in speech-to-speech translation using deep neural networks. He also reflects on the growth and global expansion of Microsoft Research.

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Photo courtesy of Rick Rashid

S. “Soma” Somasegar joined Microsoft in 1989, starting in the OS/2 team and later transitioning to the Windows NT project, where he worked on memory management and file systems and reflects on creating a groundbreaking 32-bit operating system. Soma also talks about leading the Developer Division, emphasizing the importance of developers to Microsoft's success, and his pride of enabling distributed development and advocating for tapping into global talent, particularly in India. His efforts led to the establishment of Microsoft's R&D centers in India, China, Israel, and other locations, significantly contributing to the company's growth.

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Photo courtesy of Soma Somasegar

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