Regarding the damage of excessive security measures on user experience.

Dear Microsoft,
Hi.

TL;DR

I tried to connect to my Minecraft account.

Not TL;DR:

I tried to connect to my old Minecraft account, the password isn't recognized.
No problem- I try to recover the password.
No mail received.
I contact my little brother, to whom I've given my account some years ago. He tells me he changed the password.
(Up to this point - not Microsoft's fault at all).
Cool - no problem, I try again with the new password.
Failed.
At this point my lil' brother tells me that now I can use a Microsoft account to connect to Minecraft, and he gave me the account details.
I try to connect with them.

Now, for some reason, Minecraft - a child's game - apparently requires extreme security. The password isn't enough - I also need to enter my brother's Microsoft PIN.
I ask him for the PIN - and it's wrong.
(For context - I'm at my apartment, my brother is at our parents' house lying in bed, and it's 2 AM).
So we want to change the PIN, but apparently - you have to be connected LOCALLY to the 'home computer' to change the PIN.
Since my brother is in bed, instead of sending him to the PC, I try to handle it myself by adding his Microsoft account to my computer.
The account was added, however I still didn't have control over the PIN.

At this point I give up on connecting with Microsoft account and go back to try and connect with my Mojang account.
I go back to my last mail from Mojang, and there I see - in the small letters - that the account was completely Migrated. No more Mojang account at all.

Now let me ask you seriously - does it seem to you in any way sensible, that the only way to connect to a video game - not a Mail account, a business-related product or whatsoever - a kid's video game, requires a connection to a Microsoft account??

But the fun doesn't stop here. Oh no.

Ironically, somehow while adding my brother's account - you guys finally won. My local user was finally, somehow, connected to my Microsoft account.

After removing my brother's Microsoft account from the computer, I tried to remove my own. As you probably know - you must be connected to one Microsoft account on the PC in order to remove another.

I searched the internet for a very simple demand - how to remove a Microsoft account from a computer? I haven't found any simple, 3-step answer. From what I've gathered, one must go deep into the system configuration files. For some reason, a simple 'opt-out' isn't an option you want to give your paying costumers.

Which leads me to another question: Why does it bother you so much that people want to simply use their laptop without being connected to a Microsoft account???? Seriously - they pay you, they bought your OS and probably your office and your product - why do you basically force them to 'marry' you?

It seems to me that Microsoft has a very severe case of "trying to protect people from themselves". Too often, it feels as though I get locked outside my own house - even though I have the keys and everything, just because I don't have the ultra-mega-key, or because I once gave my brother the keys to the house and now I need his bloody fingerprint any time I want to get into my own house.
Why does it feel as though I'm breaking into my account any time I want to log in? Why do I need to feel as though I'm trying to do something wrong in this situation???
The best way to turn costumers into your enemies is to treat them as such. I've got to tell you - you're on the right track.

Look, I really like your products. Truly.
Windows is a great OS, and I think that Excel and PowerPoint are absolutely fantastic. But going back to the house metaphor - it doesn't matter how fancy a house is. If you constantly get locked out of it, an annoying upgrade alarm goes off every 3 days, and for some reason even the refrigerator requires a key, then I guarantee you: No matter how luxurious this house is, you'd eventually move out because you couldn't bear the frustration anymore.

And guess what? I moved out. This was the straw that broke the camel's back - I've deleted my Microsoft account (I'm currently writing from my university's account), and I seriously consider switching to Linux.

My request, or perhaps - my advice to you - is simple. Stop assuming you know what's best for your costumers. Let them choose for themselves. Let them determine how secured they want their accounts.
If they want to use the Microsoft account + password + pin for their Minecraft account, like you currently require - no problem. But give us a choice to use something else, perhaps more minimal.
And if our account gets hacked as a result - It's our problem. Your costumers are adults who can hold responsibility for their actions. All I ask of you is to treat us as such.

By the way, excessive security can easily be bad security! If I'm constantly getting locked out of my house because it's "too secure", then I'm probably going to make sure there are ways for me to 'break in' - and actual burglars will be able to utilize these ways as well.

Also, it seems that Google managed to solve the security problem - without inciting the urge to ram one's head into a wall. I highly advice you to take notes from them.

Conclusion

I'd really appreciate it if you could address all the points I marked with bold. A few requests regarding your answer:

1. I know that the easiest thing for you is to address only my Minecraft situation and offer a solution. DON'T. In fact, I don't want the word 'Minecraft' to so much as appear in your request. It was only an example to a much, much deeper problem - and you know it.
   
2. Please, write as a person - not as a bot. Show some sympathy. I've seen an answer you've written to another (very) frustrated costumer starting with the words
   "Welcome to the community for sharing and discussing.
   
   Please understand that Microsoft, as one of the largest Internet companies in the world, has developed many great products with customer centricity..."
   This not only feels like a bot and has a vibe of "There is no war in Ba-Sing-Se" (Avatar Aang reference) but also smells strongly like an "I'm sorry that you feel this way" apology - which isn't really an apology at all, and passes the blame onto the victim. Whatever happened to "the costumer is always right"?
   
3. Continuing my last point - Take responsibility. Look, nobody's perfect, everybody makes mistakes. You are one of the biggest companies in the world - So act accordingly. Own up to your mistakes. Admit that there are things that can be improved, and maybe - only maybe - also act to improve them.
   

And that's it for now. Please, answer and pass this message on to your higher-ups or whomever can do something about the situation:
Microsoft can be - it is - a great house, and it was once my home. All the ingredients are there. Just remove the annoying parts - or at least make them optional - and that's it. That's all we're asking.

Please, please, Make Microsoft Great Again.

Best regards,
Raveh

:)