When I came to Microsoft, I was well aware that the company had a target on its back. That's just the nature of competition. People are always trying to bring down the top dog, whether it's a software company, a baseball team, or a politician.

For years I'd heard that Microsoft maintained its competitive edge by operating under an attitude of controlled paranoia. Sure, we're huge. Sure, we own the desktop. But if we don't play our cards right, someone could come along and take it all away. Friends who'd left their companies for Microsoft confirmed this perception. Heck, Bill Gates himself told Peter Jennings that "whether it's Google or Apple or free software, we've got some fantastic competitors and it keeps us on our toes." That's quite an admission from a guy who's richer than most countries. If I had $60 billion in the bank, I'd probably assume that I'd trounced any so-called competitors and start looking for a nice modest island to purchase and retire to.

But that's not Gates. And it's certainly not Microsoft.

This paranoia — whether justified or not — may stem from the company's much-heralded innovate mantra. From the rash of unsolicited internal emails that fly across my flat-panel monitor, I can personally attest that Microsoft is continually trying to innovate in three ways: by inventing new technologies (tablet, ERP, digital marketplace), by competing in established markets (Speech Server, Xbox, Zune), and by perfecting its legacy products (Windows, IE, WinServ). You can argue about whether or not we are successful in these attempts. But take my word for it, if we fail, it's not for lack of trying.

In fact, that's one thing I like about working here. Despite its size (now over 70,000 employees) and famously deep coffers, Microsoft insists on constantly evaluating its own position and relevance in the industry and in the marketplace. Never mind that my team shipped two full versions of Speech Server in the last two years. Nice job, guys, but what have you done for me lately? That market share we just captured is vulnerable unless we ship an even better version this year. Around here, agitation is seen as a good thing.

That's why it's so important that I embrace Speech Server's recently announced integration with Office Communications Server. No, it's not what I signed up for. But even I am smart enough to know that it's not about me, it's about what's best for the company and the customer. You don't rest on past laurels and ship a pretty new version of the same product. You evaluate, innovate, and agitate, and then ship the product that will change the world.

Sounds grandiose, doesn't it? It does to me, too. But that's why I came here. The day I leave is the day I hand in my target.