Which company is best to work for – Microsoft or Google?

Don Dodge spent 5 years at Microsoft and ran the MSFT’s venture capital relations activity on the East Coast of the US. He was downsized by Microsoft and then turned up at Google, reported here.

Don Dodge

A month into his new job, he seems to have just realised that cloud computing is the future.

“Google is an amazing company, even more so from the inside. To the outside world Google is just search.”

“The future of computing – I think Google has made three big bets on the future of computing; Chrome (browser), Google Apps (cloud), and Android (mobile). The trends are pretty clear. All the exciting new applications are running in the browser, with application code in the cloud, and the cell phone as the platform. Your cell phone will become your primary computer. I think in the near future there will be docking stations everywhere with a screen and a keyboard. You simply pull out your phone, plug it into the docking station, and instantly all your applications and data are available to you. Chrome, Google Apps, and Android make this vision possible.”

“2010 the turning point – I think 2010 will be the year that enterprises of all sizes start their transition to Gmail and Google Apps, and take their first steps towards the vision of the future. The move towards Cloud Computing is obvious. Gmail and Google Apps are the easy first steps in that direction. The cost savings are enormous,over $500 per user per year. Compare that to buying software licenses and maintenance from the old style software giants, and add the costs of server hardware, and IT managers to run them.” Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing.

Could he not have worked that our at Microsoft?