It's not as cynical as that. Microsoft provide the right tools at the right point in the business lifecycle. Have you ever been in a company where That Spread

It's not as cynical as that. Microsoft provide the right tools at the right point in the business lifecycle. Have you ever been in a company where That Spreadsheet is rebuilt "properly" at great expense by "people who know what they are doing" and then, the first time the business wants a change it takes more than an afternoon and everyone goes back to the spreadsheet again? Some (most?) people aren't programmers and have no choice. Microsoft lets them be the masters of their own destiny.