Only three days before an eagerly anticipated employee pub was set to open at Microsoft’s new entertainment-and-devices complex in Redmond, Wash., Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) got cold feet and killed the idea, Seattle-area technology news site TechFlash reported Friday. A spokesman said that the company decided that the bar wasn’t appropriate for a “business environment.” What’s odd, though, is that plans for the bar had been in the works for more than a year. It featured eight bar taps, a “giant bar,” and a fireplace — and was all set for its grand opening, TechFlash reports.
But Microsoft decided to terminate the lease; a spokesperson said cost-cutting didn’t play a role. Microsoft has cut back on several initiatives recently, citing economic conditions. Earlier this year, sources at the company said it determined that it could save more than $100 million by cutting back on certain employee perks, but that Microsoft’s CFO had nixed the idea.
{"source":"https:\/\/gigaom.com\/2009\/04\/10\/419-no-campus-pub-for-microsoft\/wijax\/49e8740702c6da9341d50357217fb629","varname":"wijax_0fbfa020942e65c8ba6ff610b8fb22e2","title_element":"header","title_class":"widget-title","title_before":"%3Cheader%20class%3D%22widget-title%22%3E","title_after":"%3C%2Fheader%3E"}