Learning From Xbox Launch Not a Game Says Former Microsoft President

Robbie Bach may be responsible for creating and launching the Microsoft Xbox gaming console. Nevertheless, the former Microsoft President’s is not playing around when it comes to solving societal problems. 'I started rethinking what I had learned over the course of that ten years working on the Xbox business and found ways that I could apply that in what I call civic engineering, trying to help our communities become better places,' said Bach, who recently published Xbox Revisited. Xbox Revisited reveals both the successes and failures Bach endured while building the brand. One of those problems was a technical glitch in the Xbox 360 named the 'red ring of death' that caused the box to lock and not work anymore. 'We ultimately decided that the right strategy was just to do the right thing for the customer and we built an entire system to repair and replace every box that had the problem,' said Bach. 'Financially that was a challenge and operationally it was a challenge but when you do the right thing for the customer they reward you.' As for Microsoft’s culture in the post-Steve Ballmer era, Bach said current boss Satya Nadella is the right man to lead the charge in Redmond at the right time. 'He is changing that culture some which is appropriate. He is focusing on strategy and innovation which is great,' said Bach. 'You won’t really know the results for another year or two until his product initiatives come to market, but certainly the vibe at Microsoft is really positive right now.'