215: How Microsoft Garage Harnesses the Innovative Power of 70,000 Employees to Drive Progress

What if getting your big idea across the finish line wasn’t about pitching harder, but about thinking like a storyteller… or a mastermind?

In this episode of The Innovation Storytellers Show, I sit down with Ed Essey, Director of Business Value at The Microsoft Garage, to uncover the surprising mechanics behind one of the most successful innovation engines in tech. Ed isn’t just helping Microsoft employees come up with bold ideas. He’s teaching them how to bring those ideas to life, secure executive sponsorship, and scale them globally. With more than 20,000 projects emerging from Microsoft’s annual hackathon, his work is reshaping what innovation looks like inside a giant.

We discuss the Garage Growth Framework, the storytelling techniques that help innovators get to ‘yes,’ and why corporate innovation often needs to feel more like a heist than a business plan. Along the way, Ed shares the powerful backstories of projects like Repowering Coal, which sparked the revitalization of Three Mile Island with clean nuclear energy, and MirrorHR, a deeply personal project that’s helping families reduce epileptic seizures using AI and wearables.
Ed also gives us a preview of his upcoming book, The Inside Job, a heist-themed guide to innovation for intrapreneurs looking to create meaningful change in complex organizations.

About Ed

Name: Ed Essey
Title: Director of Business Value
Company: The Microsoft Garage
LinkedIn | Website | Company LinkedIn Page

Ed Essey is the Director of Business Value in The Microsoft Garage, where he helps turn bold ideas into real-world impact. As the creator of the Garage Growth Framework, he has led programs that secure executive sponsorship at an 85% success rate, launching hundreds of projects. An MIT graduate, serial founder, and product leader, Ed specializes in early-stage innovation, AI, and bridging people with technology. His upcoming book, The Inside Job, is a heist-themed guide to corporate innovation. A mindful leader, he empowers people to know their worth and use their gifts to change the world wisely.