With the economy in a slump, and company headcount having growing sharply in recent years, the mandate to managers was to clamp down on free-wheeling spending. "We need to halt the growing practice of handing out random T-shirts and other goodies for simply attending a required business meeting," the sternly-worded memo stated. Other examples of excess included catered lunches and oversized teams. "Every penny counts," and everyone—from those in the executive suite to front-line coders—should get used to eating "weenies not shrimp."
The year was 1993, and Microsoft had reached its limit on lavish employee spending and recreation.
