During GDC 2025, Monica Harrington, the co-founder of Valve and its first chief marketing officer, shared her extensive career in tech, specifically focusing on her time at Microsoft where she marketed Microsoft Word.

Harrington recalled:

“It’s the mid-90s, and I’m in a new job at Microsoft overseeing PR for Microsoft’s Consumer Division.”

She described her role and how she transitioned into managing PR for applications and developer tools, highlighting a significant launch where Microsoft’s Office suite began dominating competitors.

She reflected on a pivotal moment when she had to perform a type-off demonstration for potential clients, where they actually wanted to see real-time use of the software:

“The people who had asked for it, they actually wanted essentially a type-off. They wanted you to produce a document.”

Her unique background as a certified legal secretary allowed her to confidently stand out in this scenario, underscoring the importance of understanding what clients truly desire in marketing.