Inspire, Spring 2010

As most would agree, finding information “at the click of a mouse” isn’t quite as simple as it sounds — especially when those clicks lead to an ever-growing chain of websites. With an estimated one billion pages added to the web every day, the complexity and the chaos grow faster than anyone can keep up with. It’s been said, “The Internet is the world’s largest library; it’s just that all the books are on the floor.” Overwhelmed by the clutter, few have ventured to begin the tedious process of putting the books back on the shelf. But Bill Pardi ’91 is one of those few. As a broadcasting major at Cedarville in the late 1980s, Bill would never have guessed that the cumbersome computers meagerly situated around campus would one day be the focus of his work. And the Internet? It never crossed his mind. But 20 years later, as an upper-level Microsoft employee, he finds himself developing cutting-edge programs that not only pave the way for future Internet innovation but also simplify the search process for users around the globe. In 2008, Bill joined a team that was already hard at work developing what would soon become the search engine Bing. Like many great ideas, Bing came about because someone asked a very good question: How can we make online searching easier and more organized? Since its launch last June, Bing has grown in popularity, due in part to the role Bill played in the process. He credits a providential meeting in 1997 with giving him the tools and credibility that later influenced his involvement with Bing. BACK TO BASICS As he walked into a Microsoft leadership seminar, Bill affixed his nametag to his shirt, well aware that he wasn’t supposed to be in that room. The two-day event was designed for senior-level employees; Bill had earned a spot at the last minute when several managers had to decline. The experience turned out to be more significant than he thought. “The seminar provided a breakthrough moment for me in terms of problem-solving,” he said. “It’s something I’ve carried with me in my personal and professional life since then, including my work on Bing.” For Bill, it all came down to making things simpler. At the beginning of the seminar, the group was given a day and a half to solve a problem. Unlike the others in the room, Bill quickly realized the solution was relatively straightforward. But convinced the challenge was more complex than that, his team members dismissed Bill’s proposed answer. “As discussions and strategizing ran into the second day,” he recalled, “the group started to realize I was on to something. By the end of the exercise, we were right where I originally wanted to go.” “Bing came about because someone asked a very good question: How can we make online searching easier and more organized?” 20 SPRING 2010