As Bill Gates closed the door for the final time Friday on his ex-office (Ballmer takes over Monday) the rhetoric about continued one day a week doesn’t match the reality. Whether you believe Bill will have an ongoing role in Office and Windows futures, I bet most of Bill’s input is already factored in by the owners of those two dominant sources of Microsoft revenue.
What comes next depends on whether Microsoft can pivot to the open Web paradigm as predicated in the Live Mesh strategy, or meander along while attempting to catch up in search and failing to buy Yahoo. You can find plenty of the latter analysis elsewhere, but here we’ll go for the throat of Microsoft’s disruptive opportunity by using a time-honored approach when faced with few facts but a lot of clues. Namely, building a case out of circumstantial evidence. And a smoking gun.
Good bye bill, you really changed the world and turned microsoft in the most powerful company in the world…
Hope google wont merge you lol
You can verify its popularity on http://www.them...rfulcompany.com
Hey Steve, I just read about this and couldn’t believe my eyes.
http://www.1938...-web-relations/
It’s hard to believe you’re lending your name to this. Maybe you should put it on the TechCrunch home page since it’s happening at the TechCrunch summer party. Be upfront with your readers.
I don’t know where you guys lost your way but this is so over the top.
BTW, I want my name taken off that. How dare you imply that I support it. Unreal.
Bill Gates is a legend, Microsoft should keep him somehow just for their own image. Its like asking Michael Jordan not to represent Nike anymore.
Bad, very bad for Microsoft.
“As Bill Gates closed the door for the final time Friday on his ex-office (Ba11mer takes over Monday)”
What is Ba11mer taking over?
Is he the chief software architect now?
That would be pretty funny.
@2, 3, I also feel that Dave’s good name has been sullied. No wait, I don’t care.
So is Ba11mer the Chief Software Architect as well as being CEO now or what?
I want to see Ba11mer code something for a change.
I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt and assume by “(Ballmer takes over Monday)” you meant to imply that Gates was somehow “shadow running” the company from his position as Chief Software Architect since I can’t imagine you’d be so stupid as to not realize Ballmer has been CEO for years now.
With that said, you’re still wrong. There have been tons of books, articles, etc… written by respected journalists that detail just how bitter the transition from Gates to Ballmer was and how much Ballmer has largely been in control since about 2001. To say otherwise shows an utter misunderstanding of how Microsoft works internally (unless there’s some conspiracy to portray its workings as just the opposite of what they actually are)
As everyone and their brother have pointed out Gates is handing his position off to Ozzie if he’s handing it off to anyone.
P.S. – this ridiculous idea of Silverlight + Mesh that you’ve made up and that no one else has even ever mentioned is still silly. ‘nuff said.
Balhmer is going to run microsoft into the ground, you know.. hes going to team up with google. Its all about money in that guys mind, where as bill.. thinks logically instead of with a dollar.
@6
battellemedia.com/archives/001835.php
Prior to joining Google, I set up a meeting on or about November 11, 2004 with Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ba11mer to discuss my planned departure….At some point in the conversation Mr. Ba11mer said: “Just tell me it’s not Google.” I told him it was Google.
At that point, Mr. Ba11mer picked up a chair and threw it across the room hitting a table in his office. Mr. Ballmer then said: “Fscking Eric Schmidt is a fscking pvssy. I’m going to fscking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I’m going to fscking kill Google.” ….
Thereafter, Mr. Ba11mer resumed trying to persuade me to stay….Among other things, Mr. Ba11mer told me that “Google’s not a real company. It’s a house of cards.”
Not likely. He publicly called the man a fscking pvssy and said his company was a house of cards ready to blow over at any second.
http://www.yout...h?v=tGvHNNOLnCk
Ba11mer, in a nutshell. Fresh off the used car lot.
@6
battellemedia.com/archives/001835.php
Prior to joining Google, I set up a meeting on or about November 11, 2004 with Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ba11mer to discuss my planned departure….At some point in the conversation Mr. Ba11mer said: “Just tell me it’s not Google.” I told him it was Google.
At that point, Mr. Ba11mer picked up a chair and threw it across the room hitting a table in his office. Mr. Ballmer then said: “Fscking Eric Schmidt is a fscking pvssy. I’m going to fscking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I’m going to fscking k1ll Google.” ….
Thereafter, Mr. Ba11mer resumed trying to persuade me to stay….Among other things, Mr. Ba11mer told me that “Google’s not a real company. It’s a house of cards.”
Not likely. He publicly called the man a fscking pvssy and said his company was a house of cards ready to blow over at any second.
youtube.com/watch?v=tGvHNNOLnCk
Ba11mer, in a nutshell. Fresh off the used car lot.
@6, regarding Google and Mr. Ba11mer.
battellemedia.com/archives/001835.php
Prior to joining Google, I set up a meeting on or about November 11, 2004 with Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ba11mer to discuss my planned departure….At some point in the conversation Mr. Ba11mer said: “Just tell me it’s not Google.” I told him it was Google.
At that point, Mr. Ba11mer picked up a chair and threw it across the room hitting a table in his office. Mr. Ba11mer then said: “Fscking Eric Schmidt is a fscking pvssy. I’m going to fscking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I’m going to fscking k1ll Google.” ….
Thereafter, Mr. Ba11mer resumed trying to persuade me to stay….Among other things, Mr. Ba11mer told me that “Google’s not a real company. It’s a house of cards.”
Not likely. He publicly called the man a fscking pvssy and said his company was a house of cards ready to blow over at any second.
http://youtube....h?v=tGvHNNOLnCk
Ba11mer, in a nutshell. Fresh off the used car lot.
If you ask me, Microsoft has some big competition from a competitor who likes to give things away for free. Adapt to the nouveau or perish, as they say.
Good by Microsoft, it was s good ride why it lasted!
Every time I drive over one of those car counting rubber hoses I am reminded that one good idea can lead to another. His foundation needs his pizzaz a lot more than microsoft.
I don’t care about this Microsoft drama!!!
- http://easysumm...y.blogspot.com/
well Bill Has great timing sence america is on the verg off destruction
i bet he will be spending alot of time out of the country
mabey at the dooms day vault a bill ?
Washington (UNN)
The King is Dead, Long live Google, Linux, and Open Source.
UZI NEWS NETWORK (UNN)
Unfair Never Balanced.
http://uzinewsn...k.blogspot.com/
awesome. so michael’s “easysummermoney.blogspot.com” spam doesnt get blocked but my legitimate question of wtf this has to do with web 2.0 news this has to do with is deleted?
#10 My ears hurt. I hate Steve Ballmer.
Whilst Bill Gates likes to triumph his spot on prediction back in 1995 regarding, ‘The Internet Tidal Wave’. What Microsoft has exactly done to combat the rise of the Web, is littered with errors and bad judgement.
Apart from their battle with the US Government, problems with Windows Vista and the move from software to hardware with both the Xbox and Zune. Microsoft has allowed the Internet to creep up on them like an 800lb gorilla.
The failure to understand the importance of Search across the Internet, plus the movenment of Office Software over the Web, has left Microsoft caught out with their pants down.
But how do they expect to compete over the Web, when their core assets are Desktop Applications such as Windows and Office.
Google is a 100% Web Company. The same can not be said of Microsoft. Until they give the Internet the same priority as Windows and Office, Microsoft will never ride the Internet Tidal Wave.
The man with no equal is gone, a true leader in many forms, who set us all on the path of the future. The blessings of the world upon him, and that he may embark on a happy and peaceful life after. As for Microsoft, I know I’m not the only one who is frightened by Steve Balmer? Terrible choice for CEO.