Microsoft Alumni Network Featured profile

Leveling Up:

How Cheryl Platz turned a lifelong love of Pikachu into a dream role at Pokémon

“By 2007, Cheryl saw the gaming industry shifting. Budgets shrank, handheld titles faded, and UX roles were scarce. So, she made a bold move: Microsoft.

“If you live in Redmond and don’t work at Microsoft, there’s a curiosity,” she says. “Where are all those cars going?”

She joined as one of two designers on System Center Configuration Manager, later leading design for Windows Automotive features like voice UI and notifications.

“I bewildered all my game friends,” Cheryl said. “‘You went from Winnie the Pooh to server tools?’ Yes—and I loved it.”

Craig Fox, principal design director for Microsoft Azure, was her direct manager on the Connected Car team. While most people at Microsoft are “already psychologically oriented” to be high performers, Craig said Cheryl was mind blowing.

“Here’s a person who has the human-computer interaction degree, she’s not just a computer science person—she can sing and act and present comfortably in front of crowds,” he said. “She’s multifaceted. Her energy, network, and communication served her and the team very well.”

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