The role of companies in giving back

Companies, particularly those in the IT industry, play a crucial role in cultivating a culture of giving back. They have the resources and influence to make significant contributions to both technical communities and society at large. This can be achieved through various initiatives, from corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to employee volunteering and donation matching.

To set the stage for the kind of good that companies may choose to do, I would like to share the single moment that I took the greatest pride in being an employee of Microsoft. The date was March 4, 2020, and I was checking my email during a break for a customer design session in Singapore. In my inbox was an email announcing that the Redmond, WA campus would be temporarily closed due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus and that all employees were to work from home as a temporary precaution. The part that made me proud, though, was that it went on to explain...