Mr. Jeff Stride spent 22 years at Microsoft in a variety of positions, roles, products, buildings and divisions. Stride's first product was Microsoft Bob that was famously championed by Melinda Gates and is where the infamous Clippy character in Office originated. Stride started off as a tester, moved to program management, then became a developer, lead developer, and engineering manager. Stride spent most of his time in client products such as Microsoft Works and Microsoft Money. "It was truly wonderful to rub elbows with amazingly smart engineers and talented business folks, and meeting famous executives like Bill Gates, Steve Balmer, and the uniquely inspiring Amy Hood." Stride transitioned to be a high school teacher for seven years before choosing to teach at the university level.