微软正在逐步关闭其长期运行的内部创新项目“The Garage”，这一持续了17年的公司级创新平台即将结束作为独立项目的历史。根据曝光的内部文件显示，微软计划取消“The Garage”作为统一运营机构的职能，并调整全球多个相关实体空间的使用方式。
“The Garage”自成立以来一直承担微软内部创新实验平台的角色，为员工提供场地、工具和资源，让他们能够在本职工作之外开发创意项目、测试新想法，并参与跨部门协作。该项目同时也是微软全球黑客松（Global Hackathon）的重要组织者之一。
微软在内部说明文件中表示，过去依赖专门创新空间和项目推动的实验文化，如今已经融入各团队的日常工作流程之中。公司认为，随着新工具和工作模式的普及，创新、学习和实验不再局限于特定场所，而应成为所有团队持续开展的日常活动。
对于关闭原因，微软将其描述为重新思考和调整创新体系的一部分。公司发言人表示，微软会持续评估如何利用办公空间来更好地支持员工、客户和合作伙伴，因此决定对部分 Garage 空间进行调整。不过微软强调，创新精神和创造者文化仍然是公司工作的核心组成部分。
据了解，不同地区的 Garage 场地将根据当地情况进行不同处理，部分空间最快可能在近期限制访问。微软尚未公开说明哪些具体地点受到影响，其中包括位于美国雷德蒙德总部园区的旗舰 Garage 空间未来去向也尚未明确。
与此同时，Garage 关闭也让微软全球黑客松活动的未来引发关注。内部文件显示，负责该项目的团队正在重新规划相关计划，微软将在未来公布更多细节。目前尚不清楚黑客松是否会以新的组织形式继续存在。
值得注意的是，微软近年来一直在对内部资源进行调整。今年早些时候，公司关闭了位于雷德蒙德、海得拉巴、北京和都柏林等地的员工图书馆，并将相关学习资源整合到所谓的“AI驱动学习平台”之中。此外，微软还关闭了总部著名的访客中心 Building 92。
公开资料显示，“The Garage”最早诞生于2009年微软 Office Labs 团队内部，其口号为“Doers， Not Talkers（行动者，而非空谈者）”。该项目旨在支持员工亲自实践自己的创意，而不仅仅停留在想法层面。随着萨提亚·纳德拉上任后推动企业文化改革，“The Garage”逐渐成为微软鼓励实验精神和跨部门创新的重要象征。
如今，随着微软将大量资源投入人工智能和数据中心建设，同时在其他领域持续推进成本优化，这个见证了微软创新文化转型的重要项目也即将退出历史舞台。微软认为，创新已经不再局限于专门的实验室和创客空间，而应成为每一支团队日常工作的一部分。
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Microsoft is phasing out its long-run internal innovation project The Garage, a 17-year corporate innovation platform that is about to end as a stand-alone project. According to exposed internal documentation, Microsoft plans to eliminate the function of “The Garage” as a unified operating agency and to adapt the use of multiple related physical spaces worldwide.
Since its inception, The Garage has taken on the role of a Microsoft internal innovation pilot platform, providing staff with the space, tools and resources to develop creative projects, test new ideas and engage in cross-sectoral collaboration beyond their current jobs. The project is also one of the key organizers of Microsoft ' s Global Hackathon.
In its internal narrative document, Microsoft indicated that it had relied on dedicated innovative spaces and a project-driven experimental culture, and was now integrated into the daily workflow process of teams. With the proliferation of new tools and work models, the company believes that innovation, learning and experimentation should no longer be confined to specific settings, but should become a daily activity for all teams on an ongoing basis.
For reasons of closure, Microsoft describes it as part of a rethinking and restructuring of the innovation system. The corporate spokesperson stated that Microsoft would continuously assess how to use office space to better support staff, clients and partners and decided to adjust part of the Garage space. However, Microsoft emphasizes that innovation and the culture of creators remain central components of corporate work.
It is understood that Garage sites in different regions will be treated differently according to local conditions, and that some of the space is likely to be most accessible in the near future. Microsoft has not publicly identified the specific locations affected, including the future of Garage space, which is located in the United States of America ' s Redmond headquarters.
At the same time, the closing of the Garage has raised concerns about the future of Microsoft's global hacking campaign. Internal documentation indicates that the team in charge of the project is reprogramming the plan and that Microsoft will publish more details in the future. It was not clear whether hackers would continue in a new form of organization.
Notably, Microsoft has been adjusting its internal resources in recent years. Earlier this year, the company closed down its staff libraries in Redmond, Hyderabad, Beijing and Dublin, and integrated the relevant learning resources into the so-called “AI-driven learning platform”. In addition, Microsoft closed its famous visitors centre at Headquarters, Building 92.
According to publicly available information, “The Garage” was first born in 2009 within the Microsoft Office Labs team under the slogan “Doers, Not Tuckers (actors, not talkers)”. The project aims to support staff to practice their own ideas in person and not only at the conceptual level. As Satya Nadra took over, the “The Garage” became an important symbol of Microsoft's encouragement of experimentation and cross-sectoral innovation.
Today, as Microsoft invests considerable resources in artificial intelligence and data centres, while continuing to optimize costs in other areas, this important project, which bears witness to the transformation of Microsoft ' s innovation culture, is about to exit the historical arena. Microsoft believes that innovation is no longer limited to specialized laboratories and open spaces, but should be part of the daily work of each team.
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