White House to tap Microsoft exec to fix HealthCare.gov

[EagleKeeper]

<snip>
The administration is set to announce that Kurt DelBene, an executive at Microsoft, will succeed Jeff Zients in leading the oversight of the embattled HealthCare.gov, according to four sources with knowledge of the decision.


“Kurt has proven expertise in heading large, complex technology teams and in product development,” Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. “He will be a tremendous asset in our work.”

You can read the rest of this article here:  http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/kurt-delbene-jeff-zients-obamacare-101237.html


I'd also like to offer a snippet of this Bio: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/exec/kurtd/

<snip>
Previously, he served as the senior vice president for the Microsoft Business Division, responsible for the development of client and server software that collectively delivers to organizations and individuals a holistic productivity experience, including authoring, collaboration, communications, information sharing, and project management. In this role, he oversaw development teams in the Office engineering organization including Office desktop applications, Office Web Applications, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Office Communications Server and Office Labs.
<snip>


I think that the Obama administration is more then just inclined to do the wrong thing, I think they insist on getting it wrong, but I also think this is probably the best decision that they have made to date. Although, I also think that DelBene is coming in to do the work gratis, which has its own pitfalls.

Anyway, this is a good opportunity for folkes to dump on Microsoft.

[DefiantSix]

When you tie this to the fingers Microsoft already has in the Common Core pie, the picture becomes just a mite disconcerting to me... [/bag on microsoft]

[Dori]

Anyway, this is a good opportunity for folkes to dump on Microsoft.

^That

[DLR Pyro]

DelBene, who retired last summer as president of the Microsoft Office division after two decades at the software behemoth, is the husband of US Rep. Suzan DelBene, (D-Wash), a fellow ex-Microsoft executive who was elected to Congress in 2012.

I wonder if this has anything to do with his selection to the job.....

[EagleKeeper]

DelBene, who retired last summer as president of the Microsoft Office division after two decades at the software behemoth, is the husband of US Rep. Suzan DelBene, (D-Wash), a fellow ex-Microsoft executive who was elected to Congress in 2012.

I wonder if this has anything to do with his selection to the job.....

Oh, I am sure that's true, but he also worked on the Exchange team and I have a good deal of respect for Exchange.

[EagleKeeper]

Btw, I forgot to mention that Exchange runs on top of windows server so you still sorta have the same problems.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Would've been a good move about 18 months ago.  At this point, replacing Zients with him is more like shooting the lieutenant who led the last failed frontal bayonet charge on the machinegun-infested enemy trenches, and then ordering the replacement to do the same thing again. 

[DLR Pyro]

Would've been a good move about 18 months ago.  At this point, replacing Zients with him is more like shooting the lieutenant who led the last failed frontal bayonet charge on the machinegun-infested enemy trenches, and then ordering the replacement to do the same thing again. 

how about we replace the CINC and get this country back on track.

[EagleKeeper]

Would've been a good move about 18 months ago.  At this point, replacing Zients with him is more like shooting the lieutenant who led the last failed frontal bayonet charge on the machinegun-infested enemy trenches, and then ordering the replacement to do the same thing again.  

This is exactly one of my takeaways so far. From what I understand so far DelBene is donating his time but the underlying developers are exactly the same.

Well, the underlying developers have been the same all along. It's going to take a massive effort for DelBene to change the mindset of this project. It certainly is easier to cast an outlier aside then it is to replace the whole team.

My expectations are that he will attempt to convince the administration to take the whole enterprise off the air in order to fill out the back end, maybe build some end to end security into it.

But it won't happen because it can not happen quickly enough.

He is a lone soul and is entirely expendable.

[EagleKeeper]

Btw, I intend to circle around back to software that depends on an underlying OS a little later.

[EagleKeeper]

Here is a thought, 30% of all Internet traffic is conducted by windows PCs that participate in bot nets and 90% of that traffic is directed to windows boxes .

Why is that?

[Lacarnut]

This is exactly one of my takeaways so far. From what I understand so far DelBene is donating his time but the underlying developers are exactly the same.

Well, the underlying developers have been the same all along. It's going to take a massive effort for DelBene to change the mindset of this project. It certainly is easier to cast an outlier aside then it is to replace the whole team.

My expectations are that he will attempt to convince the administration to take the whole enterprise off the air in order to fill out the back end, maybe build some end to end security into it.

But it won't happen because it can not happen quickly enough.

He is a lone soul and is entirely expendable.

If I get your drift, the Indians are still in charge and it will be up to the new chief, DelBene,  to have big pow wow and change everything. Don't think that is going to happen. Too much politics. 

[EagleKeeper]

If I get your drift, the Indians are still in charge and it will be up to the new chief, DelBene,  to have big pow wow and change everything. Don't think that is going to happen. Too much politics. 

You, indeed do, get my drift.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Yeah, I agree.  The White House is in 'way too deep politically to do the sane thing and pull the site down for the six months it would take for pros to do a complete scrap-and-build from top to bottom on the site.  It would be the sane thing to do in IT or business generally, but it won't happen for political reasons.

[JohnnyReb]

But I thought everything was supposed to be fixed by November 30 at the latest...period.

Oh, my bad, business Novembers.

[carnac]

 As far as I am concerned Microsoft's actions are traitorous. They are helping a tyrannical despot streamline a healthcare system that the bulk of American citizens do not want. Microsoft has become part of a tyrant's plan to control the people. It shows big business will so exactly what Lenin said they would; 'they would sell their enemies the rope to hand themselves with'.

[EagleKeeper]

As far as I am concerned Microsoft's actions are traitorous. They are helping a tyrannical despot streamline a healthcare system that the bulk of American citizens do not want. Microsoft has become part of a tyrant's plan to control the people. It shows big business will so exactly what Lenin said they would; 'they would sell their enemies the rope to hand themselves with'.

Dude...

A) Turn it down a notch, you are scaring me.

B) Did you even read the article? It ain't Microsoft, It's one lone ex-vp, just another guy to stand atop the soapbox and shout at the programmers with a one way ticket to the bottom of the bus.

C) Not to be spelling nazi or anything but this doesn't help in the credibility department...'they would sell their enemies the rope to hand themselves with'.