# Microsoft winds down 17-year employee maker space programme

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/microsoft-shuts-down-its-beloved-maker-space/
- Published: 2026-10-22T16:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T16:29:22+00:00
- Original publisher: The Verge
- Original article: https://www.theverge.com/tech/1016389/microsoft-garage-closure-hackathon-notepad
- Topics: Business, Companies, Cybersecurity, Markets, Research, Science, Space, Technology

## Key points

- Microsoft is winding down The Garage after 17 years.
- Its projects included Seeing AI and the Xbox Adaptive Controller.
- Some spaces may close as the company rethinks its hackathon.

## Summary

Microsoft is winding down The Garage, its network of employee maker spaces for developing experimental apps, hardware and other projects. The closure ends a 17-year programme that gave staff dedicated facilities and opportunities to present ideas to senior leaders, including CEO Satya Nadella.

The Garage had about 15 locations across several regions, with its main hub at Microsoft’s Redmond campus. Projects linked to it include the Seeing AI app, Mouse Without Borders and the Xbox Adaptive Controller. Some spaces may close from 23 October, and Microsoft says it is rethinking its annual hackathon, whose future is uncertain; the company has not yet detailed what will replace the programme.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.