4 ms·

Only one success? Are you ignorant? MSDOS, Windows, Word, Microsoft Programming Suite, Azure, XBox, MSQL, Excel, Flight Simulator, Exchange Server, Surface,

Only one success? Are you ignorant? MSDOS, Windows, Word, Microsoft Programming Suite, Azure, XBox, MSQL, Excel, Flight Simulator, Exchange Server, Surface, Explorer, C# Microsoft has had many successes and keeps finding ways to reinvent itself.

eesmith 9y ago
No, I am not ignorant. I believe the original context was looking for "success" as it relates to VC funding, that is, people who are successful at starting or leading startup companies and bringing them to a successful IPO or buyout. That's the type of people that VCs want to work with. Gates didn't take (much) VC money, and VCs aren't going to look for people who plan to bootstrap to success. In this context, I regard Microsoft as one success, even though the company had many successful products. Jobs was successful with Apple and Pixar; the first was angel funded and the second was mostly funded by Jobs' wealth. Still, I count that as two successes, even though Apple certainly had many successful products while Jobs was CEO. Many people have had one success (by VC standards), but not been able to have another success. Jim Clark has had three such successes.
tobylane 9y ago
By some measure Gates has none, as he bought a product and called it MS-DOS1, with the profits of that hired other people to make everything else. Zuckerberg at least personally made the thefacebook complete with algorithms a friend drew on a window.
- eesmith 9y ago
  That is not a correct interpretation. Microsoft started as a programming languages company in 1975, first with Altair BASIC and then variants of Microsoft BASIC (Applesoft BASIC, Commodore BASIC, IBM Cassette BASIC, etc.). Gates was a co-author of Altair BASIC. That provided the funding to help it spread into other fields. It entered the OS field in 1980 with Xenix, which was the OS that Microsoft Word was originally developed for. The MS-DOS work for IBM didn't start until 1981, six years after the company was founded.

eesmith 9y ago

No, I am not ignorant. I believe the original context was looking for "success" as it relates to VC funding, that is, people who are successful at starting or leading startup companies and bringing them to a successful IPO or buyout. That's the type of people that VCs want to work with. Gates didn't take (much) VC money, and VCs aren't going to look for people who plan to bootstrap to success. In this context, I regard Microsoft as one success, even though the company had many successful products. Jobs was successful with Apple and Pixar; the first was angel funded and the second was mostly funded by Jobs' wealth. Still, I count that as two successes, even though Apple certainly had many successful products while Jobs was CEO. Many people have had one success (by VC standards), but not been able to have another success. Jim Clark has had three such successes.

tobylane 9y ago

By some measure Gates has none, as he bought a product and called it MS-DOS1, with the profits of that hired other people to make everything else. Zuckerberg at least personally made the thefacebook complete with algorithms a friend drew on a window.

eesmith 9y ago
That is not a correct interpretation. Microsoft started as a programming languages company in 1975, first with Altair BASIC and then variants of Microsoft BASIC (Applesoft BASIC, Commodore BASIC, IBM Cassette BASIC, etc.). Gates was a co-author of Altair BASIC. That provided the funding to help it spread into other fields. It entered the OS field in 1980 with Xenix, which was the OS that Microsoft Word was originally developed for. The MS-DOS work for IBM didn't start until 1981, six years after the company was founded.