In order to increase the number of apps available for the Windows Phone 7 platform, Microsoft is encouraging its own software developers to take on the challenge in their free time. Usually, Microsoft rules prevent developers from profiting from apps they create on their own, but the company has changed that to allow employees to keep both the intellectual property rights and the usual 70-30 split of revenues for Windows Phone 7 apps. In addition, they’re throwing weekly pizza parties for those who choose to participate and publicizing some of the apps created by staffers, not to mention giving all employees a free phone.
So far, more than 3,000 employees have signed up for the program, and they’ve created 840 apps.
