---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I worked at Microsoft, I got to go…"
description: "\"When I worked at Microsoft, I got to go and visit a bunch of different companies. Probably a hundred different companies a year. You'd see all the diff..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/gabe-newell-11590_bunch_when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-a_741986.jpg"
---

#  When I worked at Microsoft, I got to go and visit a bunch…

![“When I worked at Microsoft, I got to go and visit a bunch of different companies. Probably a hundred different companies a year. You'd see all the different ways they'd work. The guys who did Ventura Publisher one day, and then United Airlines the next. You'd see the 12 guys in Texas doing Doom…” quote by Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/gabe-newell-11590_bunch_when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-a_741986.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/gabe-newell-11590_bunch_when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-a_741986.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/gabe-newell-11590_bunch_when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-a_741986.jpg)

> “When I worked at Microsoft, I got to go and visit a bunch of different companies. Probably a hundred different companies a year. You'd see all the different ways they'd work. The guys who did Ventura Publisher one day, and then United Airlines the next. You'd see the 12 guys in Texas doing Doom, and then you'd go see Aetna life insurance.”

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Observing diverse company cultures highlights varied approaches to work and innovation.

**In simple terms:** Seeing many companies shows different work styles.

Key Takeaway

Learn from varied business models.

Themes

learning innovation observation

Mood

curious reflective

Type

informational analytical

When to use this quote

- business trips
- career development
- networking
- industry analysis

Key Concepts

organizational behavior cross‑industry insight

Questions to Reflect On

- What common traits do successful companies share?
- How can you apply observed practices to your own work?

A Different Perspective

The anecdote may overgeneralize; not all companies are comparable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doom/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [I worked for Microsoft until 1996, till I had a different angle to view life. I wanted to be an entrepreneur and control my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/i-worked-for-microsoft-until-1996-till-i-had-a-different-angle-to/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

> [Running more than one company requires my decision-making scales to expand and contract accordingly. Is that helpful for both companies? Probably. Is that optimal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/running-more-than-one-company-requires-my-decision-making-scales-to/)

[Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/)

> [I think a lot of wrestling companies probably function with one person who at the end of the day has to make calls and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-khan/i-think-a-lot-of-wrestling-companies-probably-function-with-one/)

[Tony Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-khan/)

> [If you'd asked me a few years ago about debt settlement companies, I probably would have told you to avoid them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chatzky/if-you-d-asked-me-a-few-years-ago-about-debt-settlement-companies-i/)

[Jean Chatzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chatzky/)

> [I must say I have turned down several great companies, so I'd probably say I have to keep learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mcclure/i-must-say-i-have-turned-down-several-great-companies-so-i-d-probably/)

[Dave McClure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mcclure/)

> [If I was going to go into an office I wanted it to be with people I would choose to be around even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hsieh/if-i-was-going-to-go-into-an-office-i-wanted-it-to-be-with-people-i/)

[Tony Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hsieh/)

> [As part of the process, there are a lot of different ways to evaluate players. There are a number of different companies and things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-belichick/as-part-of-the-process-there-are-a-lot-of-different-ways-to-evaluate/)

[Bill Belichick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-belichick/)

> [“If you want to get to the truth about what makes us different, it’s this,” Bezos says, veering into a familiar Jeffism: “We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/if-you-want-to-get-to-the-truth-about-what-makes-us-different-it-s/)

[Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/)

> [You need a different checklist and different mental models for different companies. I can never make it easy by saying, 'Here are three things.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/you-need-a-different-checklist-and-different-mental-models-for-2/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [I'm a very active angel investor in a number of different companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-draiman/i-m-a-very-active-angel-investor-in-a-number-of-different-companies/)

[David Draiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-draiman/)

> [I'm lucky to have been able to represent different companies over my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/i-m-lucky-to-have-been-able-to-represent-different-companies-over-my/)

[Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/)

> [You need a different checklist and different mental models for different companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/you-need-a-different-checklist-and-different-mental-models-for/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [Jay Z is building a range of businesses just on the strength of his brand. Lady Gaga has formed really interesting partnerships. Justin Bieber…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-elberse/jay-z-is-building-a-range-of-businesses-just-on-the-strength-of-his/)

[Anita Elberse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-elberse/)

> [Power projects are differently placed to road projects. There's difference stress across different companies across different groups based on their leverage levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanda-kochhar/power-projects-are-differently-placed-to-road-projects-there-s/)

[Chanda Kochhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanda-kochhar/)

> [When I started out, there were many different companies... you could leave and go to a different territory, and there were so many different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-van-dam/when-i-started-out-there-were-many-different-companies-you-could/)

[Rob Van Dam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-van-dam/)

## More by Gabe Newell

> [One thing that we have learned is that piracy is not a pricing issue. It’s a service issue,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/one-thing-that-we-have-learned-is-that-piracy-is-not-a-pricing-issue/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [I have no direct knowledge of this, but I suspect that Apple will launch a living room product that redefines people's expectations really strongly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/i-have-no-direct-knowledge-of-this-but-i-suspect-that-apple-will/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [Traditional credentialing really doesn't have a lot of predictive value to if people will be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/traditional-credentialing-really-doesn-t-have-a-lot-of-predictive/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [We started off with a set of objectives for what we needed to communicate with the company's identity, created several proposals intended to meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/we-started-off-with-a-set-of-objectives-for-what-we-needed-to/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [In order for innovation to happen, a bunch of things that aren't happening on closed platforms need to occur. Valve wouldn't exist today without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/in-order-for-innovation-to-happen-a-bunch-of-things-that-aren-t/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [I consider Apple to be very closed. Let's say you have a book business, and you are charging 5 to 7 percent gross margins;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/i-consider-apple-to-be-very-closed-let-s-say-you-have-a-book-business/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [I think it's really clear that Sony lost track of what customers and what developers wanted. I'd say, even at this late date, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/i-think-it-s-really-clear-that-sony-lost-track-of-what-customers-and/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [Greenlight is a bad example of an election process. We came to the conclusion pretty quickly that we could just do away with Greenlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/greenlight-is-a-bad-example-of-an-election-process-we-came-to-the/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [One of the things that's important about family is the narrative history they create for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/one-of-the-things-that-s-important-about-family-is-the-narrative/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space. I think we'll lose some of the top-tier PC/OEMs, who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/i-think-windows-8-is-a-catastrophe-for-everyone-in-the-pc-space-i/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [The programmers of tomorrow are the wizards of the future,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/the-programmers-of-tomorrow-are-the-wizards-of-the-future/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [In order for innovation to happen, a bunch of things that aren't happening on closed platforms need to occur. Valve wouldn't exist today without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/in-order-for-innovation-to-happen-a-bunch-of-things-that-aren-t-2/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [I'd like to thank Sony for their gracious hospitality, and for not repeatedly punching me in the face. If I seem a little nervous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/i-d-like-to-thank-sony-for-their-gracious-hospitality-and-for-not/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [About half the people at Valve have run their own companies, so they always have the option not just to take a job at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/about-half-the-people-at-valve-have-run-their-own-companies-so-they/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [It used to be that you needed a $500-million-a-year company in order to reach a worldwide audience of consumers. Now, all you need is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/it-used-to-be-that-you-needed-a-500-million-a-year-company-in-order/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

[Explore all 59 Gabe Newell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

## More Bunch quotes

> [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/)

[Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/)

[Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/)

> [As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-light-changed-from-red-to-green-to-yellow-and-back-to-red/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In summer, my Sundays are often taken up with cricket. I play with a bunch of other over-competitive and overenthusiastic guys who I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elliot/in-summer-my-sundays-are-often-taken-up-with-cricket-i-play-with-a/)

[Ben Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elliot/)

> [There's when a phrase circles in my head in a number of ways for any number of days, weeks, or months, and then that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/there-s-when-a-phrase-circles-in-my-head-in-a-number-of-ways-for-any/)

[Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/)

> [Do you know what it is sir? Do you know what the Dance Dance Revolution is? It's not an actual revolution, so you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-peters/do-you-know-what-it-is-sir-do-you-know-what-the-dance-dance/)

[Russell Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-peters/)

> [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

> [In a way, we are magicians. We are alchemists, sorcerers and wizards. We are a very strange bunch. But there is great fun in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/in-a-way-we-are-magicians-we-are-alchemists-sorcerers-and-wizards-we/)

[Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/)

> [Rita folded her arms around herself and peered up at me. “If you’d asked me three months ago I’d have said you were hitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-murphy/rita-folded-her-arms-around-herself-and-peered-up-at-me-if-you-d/)

[C.E. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-murphy/)

> [I always wanted to be in a band with a bunch of dudes who loved Green Day and all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-irwin/i-always-wanted-to-be-in-a-band-with-a-bunch-of-dudes-who-loved-green/)

[Ashton Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-irwin/)

> [No one has it all figured out, especially not the people who are acting like they do and judging you because of it. Pretending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/no-one-has-it-all-figured-out-especially-not-the-people-who-are/)

[Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/)

> [All of my work is meant to evoke a whole bunch of different layers of discord between the attraction and repulsion that we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jordan/all-of-my-work-is-meant-to-evoke-a-whole-bunch-of-different-layers-of/)

[Chris Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jordan/)

> [Through the music I hope to give it an arc that gives it a greater sense of a journey through the set rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/through-the-music-i-hope-to-give-it-an-arc-that-gives-it-a-greater/)

[Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/)

> [America, to me, should be shouting all the time, a bunch of shouting voices, most of them wrong, some of them nuts, but please,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/america-to-me-should-be-shouting-all-the-time-a-bunch-of-shouting/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

Browse all 2,008 Bunch quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I worked at Microsoft, I got to go and visit a bunch of different companies. Probably a hundred different companies a year. You'd see all the different ways they'd work. The guys who did Ventura Publisher one day, and then United Airlines the next. You'd see the 12 guys in Texas doing Doom, and then you'd go see Aetna life insurance.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gabe Newell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-and-visit-a-bunch-of-different/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bunch"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-and-visit-a-bunch-of-different/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/gabe-newell-11590_bunch_when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-a_741986.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/gabe-newell-11590_bunch_when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-a_741986.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/gabe-newell-11590_bunch_when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-a_741986.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I worked at Microsoft, I got to go and visit a bunch of different companies. Probably a hundred…” — Gabe Newell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Gabe Newell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I worked at Microsoft, I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-and-visit-a-bunch-of-different/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/when-i-worked-at-microsoft-i-got-to-go-and-visit-a-bunch-of-different/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
