I'm Mark Brown, a Principal PM Manager on Microsoft's Azure Cosmos DB team. I bring product and team leadership together with hands-on engineering and a career spent working with developers.
I've worked across product management, software engineering, cloud architecture, developer marketing, and community. That breadth shapes how I lead: connect customer needs to product direction, help people do their best work, and bring contributors together across organizational boundaries.
Technical depth is part of that leadership, not a separate story. Building samples, reviewing contributions, and explaining difficult architecture choices help me understand where a product works well—and where we need to make it better.
Today
Making complex platforms useful.
On Cosmos DB, my work centers on helping developers and architects build with distributed data: data modeling and partitioning, resilient applications, vector search, and AI agents. I'm particularly interested in the connections between operational data, analytics, and the developer experience.
I work through both people and practical deliverables. I've launched an open-source migration tool and guide its contributors, initiated a multi-agent workshop with cross-organizational participation, and authored samples alongside other contributors. These are tangible examples of how I connect product priorities with tools people can learn from and use.
I also speak and teach about distributed systems and cloud development. Developer education and advocacy remain an important part of how I listen, communicate, and lead.
The path here
Built across disciplines.
2016–present · Microsoft
Product management & team leadership
I returned to Microsoft in early 2016, worked on Azure Networking, and then joined Cosmos DB. Today, as a Principal PM Manager, I bring that platform experience to the work of leading people and building for developers.
2014–2016 · Solliance
Cloud architecture, close to customers
As a Cloud Architect at Solliance, I built Azure solutions for customers and returned to hands-on engineering full time. During this period, I was recognized as an Azure MVP.
2000–2014 · Microsoft
Platforms, developer marketing & community
My first Microsoft chapter spanned early mobile and tablet platforms, Virtual Earth and Bing Maps, and the Web Platform team behind IIS, ASP.NET, and WebMatrix. I worked in developer community and evangelism, including as Community Manager for Azure MVPs and Insiders, and in product marketing for Azure Websites and Cache during Azure's early growth.
Since 1992 · Engineering foundations
Learning by solving real problems
I'm a self-taught developer. My first application automated work in a resort's accounting department using a beta of Microsoft Access 1.0. That led to business-process integration, web development, and message-based e-commerce systems—and a lasting interest in how software makes someone's work better.
Leadership principles
What I come back to.
Make the problem clear.
I want teams to understand the customer need, the choices in front of us, and why the work matters—not just the next deliverable.
Create room for others.
I value clear direction and shared ownership. Guiding contributors means helping people bring their expertise to the work, not making every decision myself.
Keep the feedback loop short.
I stay close to code, customers, and community. A working example or an honest conversation often reveals what a presentation cannot.
Continue the conversation.
Find my professional background, public work, and speaking topics.