Microsoft Retires Peer-Feedback Tool in Review System Overhaul

Microsoft is retiring its peer-feedback tool, Perspectives, as part of a broader overhaul of its employee review system, according to an internal message viewed by Business Insider. The tool, in use since 2018, allowed employees to request performance input from peers visible to themselves and managers. The retirement stems from employee and manager feedback that informal, in-the-moment conversations are more valuable than formal requests. New feedback requests are halted, though active responses and export of history continue until September 15. The change coincides with a review system revamp that simplifies ratings into five categories with sharper performance distinctions. Managers have also been instructed to reduce headcount in higher-level engineering roles as Microsoft flattens parts of its organization, reflecting a broader hardcore work culture across Big Tech. Perspectives had replaced an earlier Feedback Tool and was once touted as a sign of a "kinder, gentler Microsoft," with its name deliberately avoiding the word "feedback" due to negative connotations.