The team behind Windows NT sent ‘black cardboard coffins’ and fake dog poop to their rivals back in the 90s, because nerds
In a 2023 interview that recently resurfaced, Dave Cutler, the chief architect of Windows NT, revealed that Microsoft’s development team engaged in elaborate pranks against rival Sun Microsystems during the 1990s. The pranks included sending “black cardboard coffins” and fake dog poop to Sun, apparently targeting co-founder Scott McNealy, whom Cutler described as “kind of mealy-mouthed.”
The anecdote, shared by ex-Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer in his interview with Cutler, offers a rare glimpse into the competitive culture of the operating system wars during a pivotal era in computing history. While the pranks blurred the line between childish fun and subtle intimidation—the coffins in particular resembling ominous threats—they reflect the intensity of rivalry during one of tech’s most important battles.
The revelation reminds us that even the brightest software engineers found room for competitive shenanigans when stakes were high, and that major products emerge from teams of real people capable of sending fake dog poop to prove a point.