I have an announcement: tomorrow (Monday June 3rd) I’m starting a new job on the Power BI CAT team at Microsoft. It won’t affect what happens here on my blog, but I wanted to write this post because so many people have asked me why I’m making this move.
First and foremost the job at Microsoft offers some exciting new challenges for me that I wouldn’t get as a self-employed person. I’ll get to work on some of the biggest, most complex Power BI implementations in the world, provide feedback to the Power BI development team, and still be able to speak at conferences and do many of the other things I love doing now. I’ll also have the pleasure of working with a truly stellar bunch of colleagues who I know I’ll learn a lot from. And of course, what better product to work on than Power BI and what better tech company to work for nowadays than Microsoft? Power BI is going from strength to strength and I want to make a direct contribution to its future success.
What’s more the offer from Microsoft came at a time when I was getting a bit bored with the work I’ve been doing. If you do any job for long enough it gets repetitive and in my case after thirteen years (over a quarter of my life!) of running my own company I felt like I needed a change. Also, as I have made the shift from being a SSAS/MDX guy to being a Power BI guy I’ve been doing less and less technical consultancy and more and more training, mostly in the form of introductory Power BI courses. I enjoy training, I’d like to think I’m fairly good at it and it has proved very lucrative indeed – I just don’t want to be a full-time trainer, teaching the same material week after week.
Training and consultancy also involve a lot of travel. Over the last few years I’ve averaged more than ten nights per month in hotels and on top of that there were many nights when I got home late after a long journey back from a customer site. My wife has been very supportive and it’s all my kids have ever known, but it’s tiring and I want to spend more time with my family before my kids grow up and leave home. I’ve been to some interesting places on business I would never have been to otherwise and worked with some great companies, so yes, I have enjoyed myself. Business travel is nowhere near as glamorous or thrilling as it may seem, though, and I’m happy that I’ll be doing less of it. There’s also the risk that Brexit (if and when and how it ever happens) will stop me from working in Europe as easily as I have done in the past, so travelling as much might not even have been an option going forward.
Being self-employed has been a great experience and it’s something I would recommend to anyone who is thinking of doing it. I’m immensely grateful to all my customers, business partners and fellow members of the SQL and Power BI communities for making Crossjoin Consulting so successful. However it’s time for me to move on and try something new. Wish me luck! I’ll be back to blogging about Power BI, Power Query, SSAS, DAX and M next week.
Congratulations, Chris! Your new gig looks like a win-win for everyone concerned.
You are something special
A great combination of a smart guy with a wonderful personality. It was supposed to happen long time ago
As MSFT was always home
For you
Good luck !
Good luck Chris.
All the best Chris. Sounds like a fantastic opportunity!
Congratulations and good luck! I hope you keep writing excelent posts here.
Such a big move ! Power BI CAT is more and more impressive…
Good luck Chris 🙂
All the Best, Chris, and Enjoy
Chris: Congratulations on your new job at Microsoft! And good luck! Hope you enjoy it. Cheers! -One of Your Grateful Students
Congratulations and all best wishes in your new job! I’m sure you’ll be a big asset to Microsoft. Thanks for being a superlative teacher!
Congratulations !!! Good luck Chris !!
Wish u good luck Chris
Congratulations Chris.
You’re a truly inspiring professional that I personally admire. Well done and good luck.👌🏽
Congrats!
Thank you for everything. Your blog really got me interested in Power BI.
Sunder Nagarajan
Director Systems Data & Analytics
Ph: 9732785400 ext 1524
Email: sunder-nagaraja@berkeleycollege.edu
Thank you, Chris, for your enormous contribution to the IT community! And all the best to you and your family with this new chapter of your professional career! I am sure, you will enjoy it! 🙂
Congratulations and Good Luck!!
Nice! I’ll look forward to chatting with you as a member of the CAT Team 🙂
Congratulations and wishing you the very best Chris.
Congratulations Chris.
Congratulations, You will add the knowledge to get the next level of Power BI
Congrats man.
Chris is joining Guys in the Cube ;). Do video together!
Congratulations and good luck
Congratulations and good luck.
Congratulation.
It is a good news, that I may have helped (who knows?) :
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/888362f8-44f7-463f-8d8a-74bd72103c62/this-is-this-kind-of-documentation-that-i-wish-the-m-team-had-provided-from-day-0?forum=powerquery
“f any people in charge of M from MS reads this forum, I would strongly suggest that he considers having a contract with Chris Webb to make him develop the M official documentation.”
Best of luck, Chris!
Congratulations Chris, welcome to the team!
Congrats Chris, sounds like you chose wisely for all the right reasons, I wish you all the best!
Great news Chris! As an avid Power BI user and fan, I’m delighted that they have someone like you on their team. I’m even more looking forward to many more insightful, useful blogs from you now.
Congratulations Chris.
Congratulations! Wish you all the best, know you will make a very positive contribution!
Good luck!
Excellent news, another great addition to the Power BI Team. Onwards and upwards Power BI!
All my congratulations Chris, I wish you the best. Good luck and keep it up.
Happy to hear that *you* will have a direct impact on power bi! Good luck on the new challenges and looking forward to reading your next posts!
This can only be a good thing for Power BI moving forward–CONGRATS, THANK YOU, and BEST OF LUCK!!
Congrats Chris!
Congrats Chris! Good luck!
Congratulations and Welcome Chris! I am so excited to see my favorite Power BI celebrities joining Microsoft!
Congratulations!!! Good luck
Congratulations Chris. Wishing you the best at Microsoft. May your future, both professionally and personally, be ever bright.
Congratulations, Chris. Not surprised at all that Microsoft would pick you up. 🙂
Congrats, Chris!
Great news – congratulations Chris. The expansion of the Power BI Team with true experts like you is a great sign of Microsoft’s continued investment in this awesome product.
Will you be taking over voicing the monthly Power BI Desktop updates video? 🙂
Congrats Chris! Best of luck
Congrats Chris and all the very best.
Do see if you can get MS to show some love to the neglected BI components in Excel
Nicely done! You will be a great asset to them.
Congratulations Chris. Microsoft will definitely benefit from your skills.
See you on stage.
Congrats Chris! Power BI is an amazing product and you will help it become even better. I actually just emailed you a separate question – but guess you’re not consulting anymore!
Congratulations! Good luck Chris.
Congratulations Chris and good luck!
Congrats & All the best Chris for the future. Looking forward to more insightful blogs.
Congratulations to Microsoft!
Good luck, sounds like a perfect fit
Good Luck and enjoy your new venture, but do share new updates and knowledge on power BI
I am not happy about your decision but I wish you all the best 🙂
I hope we can find another Consultant who has the skills that you have.
Best Regards From Frankfurt!
Paolo