Microsoft shuts down its beloved maker space

Microsoft is closing down The Garage, a set of popular maker spaces where employees worked on experimental projects and collaborated on surprising new apps and hardware during the company’s annual hackathon events. “We’re winding down The Garage program as a centralized function,” says Microsoft in an internal FAQ to employees, seen by Notepad. “We will continue to explore new ways to help employees build skills, collaborate across boundaries, and bring a hacker mindset to their work.” GeekWire first reported on The Garage’s closure. The main Garage space was located at Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington, campus and served as the central hub for around 15 Garage locations across the US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Microsoft employees could use it to experiment with prototypes, build hardware, and even turn hobbies into full Microsoft products. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella regularly attended Garage hackathons, giving employees a chance to showcase their projects and attract the attention of senior executives. Many apps and services have emerged from The Garage over its 17-year history, including the AI-powered Seeing AI app that describes objects and text to people who are blind or have low vision. It was born out of a 2015 hackathon event…