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Very telling: > Gates rejected the suggestions. “It’s very disappointing you feel that way,” he told Kodesh. “We don’t have time to start from scratch.” 1. "I

Very telling: > Gates rejected the suggestions. “It’s very disappointing you feel that way,” he told Kodesh. “We don’t have time to start from scratch.” 1. "I'm disappointed you feel this way:" This is a direct criticism of Kodesh's personal feelings and an attack on his loyalty of the party line. This would have been so much better had Gates written "I can understand your enthusiasm for starting over, however..." 2. The old, old story: "If you don't have time to do it right, where will you find the time to do it over?" And indeed they did end up doing it over with Zune, having frittered years away with CE.

yesbabyyes 17y ago
I share your reaction on Gates' response. I also think it sounds typical Bill Gates. They did not only start over with Zune, they've been going right and left, what with constant name changes, the Danger acquisition which was a huge failure, the Pink project, to arrive at WinMo 7 which is still dangerously close to vaporware, and it's now March, 2010. BilL Gates dropping the ball on handhelds/cellphones is in the neighborhood of him and MS almost missing out on the Web in the 90s.
ams6110 17y ago
1. Better for whom? Kodesh's feelings? WGAS? The guy was probably making 6, maybe 7 figures. He can handle the truth.
- raganwald 17y ago
  His salary is irrelevant. The point is that Gates criticized Kodesh for having ideas that Gates didn't like. That is a very different matter from criticizing Kodesh's ideas themselves. The message is clear: Think what we tell you to think or leave. Now you ask, better for whom? And I suggest, Better for Microsoft. It's possible to encourage people to explore different directions without pursuing them all. Gates could have ixnayed the message without ixnaying the messenger, and I hope that I am able to do that when it's my turn to deal with someone suggesting I scrap everything I've worked hard to build.

yesbabyyes 17y ago

I share your reaction on Gates' response. I also think it sounds typical Bill Gates. They did not only start over with Zune, they've been going right and left, what with constant name changes, the Danger acquisition which was a huge failure, the Pink project, to arrive at WinMo 7 which is still dangerously close to vaporware, and it's now March, 2010. BilL Gates dropping the ball on handhelds/cellphones is in the neighborhood of him and MS almost missing out on the Web in the 90s.

ams6110 17y ago

1. Better for whom? Kodesh's feelings? WGAS? The guy was probably making 6, maybe 7 figures. He can handle the truth.

raganwald 17y ago
His salary is irrelevant. The point is that Gates criticized Kodesh for having ideas that Gates didn't like. That is a very different matter from criticizing Kodesh's ideas themselves. The message is clear: Think what we tell you to think or leave. Now you ask, better for whom? And I suggest, Better for Microsoft. It's possible to encourage people to explore different directions without pursuing them all. Gates could have ixnayed the message without ixnaying the messenger, and I hope that I am able to do that when it's my turn to deal with someone suggesting I scrap everything I've worked hard to build.