Microsoft shuts the door on The Garage, the central program behind its hackathon and maker spaces

What happened

• Microsoft is winding down The Garage, its 17-year-old centralized program for employee hackathons and maker spaces.
• Some Garage spaces could be restricted to employees as early as Friday.
• Microsoft says its hackathon team is reimagining the event while the centralized Garage function closes.

Why it matters

The change affects Microsoft’s internal innovation infrastructure, including employee experimentation, collaboration and hackathon activity. It may interest technology professionals tracking corporate R&D and innovation programs.

What to watch. Some Garage spaces could be restricted to employees as early as Friday; Microsoft says the hackathon team is reimagining the event.

Timeline

1. EarlierOct 18
   Tokenized stock trading takes off overseas as Goldman, other U.S. companies object
2. First reported by GeekWireOct 20
   Microsoft shuts the door on The Garage, the central program behind its hackathon and maker spaces
3. The Verge reportsOct 22
   Microsoft shuts down its beloved maker space

Sources (2)

1. GeekWireOct 20
   Microsoft shuts the door on The Garage, the central program behind its hackathon and maker spaces
2. The VergeOct 22
   Microsoft shuts down its beloved maker space

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