The Last Corporate Prank Before PR Ruined Everything

I’ve been carrying the secret for 25 years. Today, I’m coming clean. This is the untold true story of a corporate April Fools prank gone wrong.

<NOTE: REPRINTS OF THIS STORY ALLOWED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS WAIVER>

Exactly 25 years ago today, some Microsoft coworkers and I launched a complex and costly prank. We printed up hundreds of realistic shrink-wrapped boxes of a fake product, “Microsoft Coffee”, and snuck it into stores all around the greater Seattle area. Customers were amused, retail was confused, and the local news and tech media covered the…