Step into the origins of one of the world’s most iconic and addictive computer puzzle games—Minesweeper—and the Microsoft era that shaped it. In this Microsoft Alumni Voices interview, Robert Donner shares how a side‑project built over a weekend spread through Microsoft, caught the attention of Bill Gates, eventually shipped worldwide, and quietly became a global phenomenon. Robert also shares stories from the early days of Word for Windows, the quirks of 1990s software culture, and a 25‑year career that stretched from game creation to reinventing Office licensing.
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From a globe‑hopping childhood in Saudi Arabia and Switzerland to becoming one of the earliest program managers on the first Xbox, Drew Angeloff describes his whirlwind career that was shaped by curiosity, creativity, and a bit of chaos. In this Microsoft Alumni Voices interview, hear how he went from stocking produce to cracking code, helped build Xbox from a five‑person skunkworks team, crafted early tech demos, shaped Xbox 360 graphics strategy, and later guided indie innovation and Forza Motorsport at Microsoft.
Photo courtesy of Microsoft Alumni Network
