Microsoft invented "escrow builds" to launch functional apps — that's internal 'Microspeak' jargon for quality control

Mountain View, USA - March 4, 2015: Microsoft Silicon Valley campus entrance sign with a parking and some buildings in the background. Back lit by morning Winter light creating long shadows from the trees onto the lawn. The 1065 La Avenida address is clearly visible.

Over the past few months, we’ve gotten a particularly close look at Microsoft's quirky vocabulary for internal communication. Forget the usual corporate jargon; like many organizations, Microsoft has its own set of abbreviations and, at times, entirely new words designed to make communication more effective and efficient

At the beginning of the month, Microsoft veteran engineer Raymond Chen revealed that the company would often use phrases like on fire — "when something has gone horribly wrong and requires immediate attention".