This might have to do with the accelerating human perception of time. Can't 5 years really feel like eons? If the author were 25, that would be a significant chunk of life, and I'm hoping you're not intending to imply that all 25 year olds should be dismissed out of hand.

But it's interesting -- people who have worked in tech during M$FT's heyday probably do want to dismiss this argument without consideration. Is the real story here that peoples' unconscious attitudinal memory is long enough that some companies' prior actions can never be forgiven?