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People think the email is weird or unique because they are surprised that Bill Gates made 40 Billion dollars by running a company that builds products that brin

People think the email is weird or unique because they are surprised that Bill Gates made 40 Billion dollars by running a company that builds products that bring intense pain to it users, and he appears to as frustrated as anyone else about the problem, and yet is completely powerless to stop it, even though he is in charge of everyone involved. It's bizarre to see someone who knows he is doing everything wrong and is flailing about to stop it, yet is drowning in money coming from his mistakes. Microsoft has been a slow-motion train wreck for 15 years, surviving off the phenomenal success of early Windows, and it has been fascinating to get peeks inside the conflagration.

DaveMebs 15y ago
This mail is from 3 years after Gates stepped down as CEO. I think you are trying to use this to reaffirm your personal beliefs about MSFT, rather than use this form your beliefs about the company. You seem to think that because MSFT made Gates a ton of money, the company should be perfect. The fact that you find it bizarre for a founder to be actively involved in his company's products and working to highlight areas needing improvement is, frankley, bizarre.
- MikeCapone 15y ago
  "This mail is from 3 years after Gates stepped down as CEO." Questions: Was microsoft very different 3 years earlier? Wasn't Gates still very involved with MSFT at that time?
Maro 15y ago
Come on now. > products that bring intense pain to it users I'm a Mac user and I love Office (over OO and iWork). > as frustrated as anyone else about the problem It's not "a" problem. It's a large organization with tons of products, and some are more sucky then the rest. > is completely powerless to stop it He wasn't the CEO anymore when he wrote this. Also, even if he were the CEO, he can't go in and fix every annoyance himself. He's a leader, he needs people underneath him to do a good job. When they're not, he needs to remind them, that's what this email is. > is drowning in money coming from his mistakes If it weren't for Bill Gates, we might not be having this conversation... > Microsoft has been a slow-motion train wreck for 15 years Have you looked at Win7? It's pretty good. C# 4.0 is much better than Java. Visual Studio kills anything else on the IDE market. Xbox rocks. A friend just got a Win7 phone, and the UI/UX seems to work very well, better than Android, about as good as iOS.
- megablast 15y ago
  I do not think anyone is suggesting that he goes in and fixed it himself, but it is up to him to ensure there are processes in place to make sure this does not happen.
- emilsedgh 15y ago
  "If it weren't for Bill Gates, we might not be having this conversation..." I hate it when people give Bill Gates and Microsoft credit for whole computer and IT advancements. We are having this conversation because many many people worked hard on these technologies. Microsoft and Bill Gates are only one of them. Of course, DOS and Windows accerelated wider adoption of personal computers, but even if they havent, someone other company would've done so.
  - sankara 15y ago
    >>but even if they havent, someone other company would've done so. This is a hypothetical statement and there are n different ways our world could have diverged. Better not to speculate on how things could have moved forward. In any case, it didn't look it was a natural progression of technology before Windows became popular as the preferred OS for a personal computer.
    - jackpirate 15y ago
      >>> If it weren't for Bill Gates, we might not be having this conversation... >> but even if they havent, someone other company would've done so. > Better not to speculate on how things could have moved forward. It is impossible not to speculate. The GGP is just speculating in the opposite direction as the GP. We simply must back our speculation with reasons. Personally, I like the GP's reasoning.
  - billmcneale 15y ago
    > I hate it when people give Bill Gates and Microsoft credit for whole computer and IT advancements. Or maybe the original poster was saying this because he was typing his response on a Windows computer.
jcc80 15y ago
"intense pain to its users" "completely powerless" "flailing about" "drowning in money coming from his mistakes" "slow-motion train wreck" You my friend, have a way with words. Comments like this make me sad that a "lol" response is not an option.
billmcneale 15y ago
> People think the email is weird or unique because they are surprised that Bill Gates made 40 Billion dollars by running a company that builds products that bring intense pain to it users, and he appears to as frustrated as anyone else about the problem, and yet is completely powerless to stop it, even though he is in charge of everyone involved. You're focusing on the negative and forgetting the positive. Yes, Windows can be counter-intuitive, but it has enabled millions of people in the world to be more productive. This is why most of the planet is using Windows. > Microsoft has been a slow-motion train wreck for 15 years A lot of companies would love to be able to live for that long (and by the way, it's more like 30+ years). Yes, you will be right at some point in the future, Microsoft will fall. It doesn't seem to be in the near future, though, considering their recent blow out quarters. I'm a Mac user myself, but come on, let's be fair here.
- code_duck 15y ago
  >Yes, Windows can be counter-intuitive, but it has enabled millions of people in the world to be more productive. This is why most of the planet is using Windows. Personal computers have enabled people to be productive, not Windows. And, the reason most people use Windows is largely for reasons other than the merits of the software.

DaveMebs 15y ago

This mail is from 3 years after Gates stepped down as CEO. I think you are trying to use this to reaffirm your personal beliefs about MSFT, rather than use this form your beliefs about the company. You seem to think that because MSFT made Gates a ton of money, the company should be perfect. The fact that you find it bizarre for a founder to be actively involved in his company's products and working to highlight areas needing improvement is, frankley, bizarre.

MikeCapone 15y ago
"This mail is from 3 years after Gates stepped down as CEO." Questions: Was microsoft very different 3 years earlier? Wasn't Gates still very involved with MSFT at that time?

Maro 15y ago

Come on now. > products that bring intense pain to it users I'm a Mac user and I love Office (over OO and iWork). > as frustrated as anyone else about the problem It's not "a" problem. It's a large organization with tons of products, and some are more sucky then the rest. > is completely powerless to stop it He wasn't the CEO anymore when he wrote this. Also, even if he were the CEO, he can't go in and fix every annoyance himself. He's a leader, he needs people underneath him to do a good job. When they're not, he needs to remind them, that's what this email is. > is drowning in money coming from his mistakes If it weren't for Bill Gates, we might not be having this conversation... > Microsoft has been a slow-motion train wreck for 15 years Have you looked at Win7? It's pretty good. C# 4.0 is much better than Java. Visual Studio kills anything else on the IDE market. Xbox rocks. A friend just got a Win7 phone, and the UI/UX seems to work very well, better than Android, about as good as iOS.

megablast 15y ago
I do not think anyone is suggesting that he goes in and fixed it himself, but it is up to him to ensure there are processes in place to make sure this does not happen.
emilsedgh 15y ago
"If it weren't for Bill Gates, we might not be having this conversation..." I hate it when people give Bill Gates and Microsoft credit for whole computer and IT advancements. We are having this conversation because many many people worked hard on these technologies. Microsoft and Bill Gates are only one of them. Of course, DOS and Windows accerelated wider adoption of personal computers, but even if they havent, someone other company would've done so.
- sankara 15y ago
  >>but even if they havent, someone other company would've done so. This is a hypothetical statement and there are n different ways our world could have diverged. Better not to speculate on how things could have moved forward. In any case, it didn't look it was a natural progression of technology before Windows became popular as the preferred OS for a personal computer.
  - jackpirate 15y ago
    >>> If it weren't for Bill Gates, we might not be having this conversation... >> but even if they havent, someone other company would've done so. > Better not to speculate on how things could have moved forward. It is impossible not to speculate. The GGP is just speculating in the opposite direction as the GP. We simply must back our speculation with reasons. Personally, I like the GP's reasoning.
- billmcneale 15y ago
  > I hate it when people give Bill Gates and Microsoft credit for whole computer and IT advancements. Or maybe the original poster was saying this because he was typing his response on a Windows computer.

jcc80 15y ago

"intense pain to its users" "completely powerless" "flailing about" "drowning in money coming from his mistakes" "slow-motion train wreck" You my friend, have a way with words. Comments like this make me sad that a "lol" response is not an option.

billmcneale 15y ago

> People think the email is weird or unique because they are surprised that Bill Gates made 40 Billion dollars by running a company that builds products that bring intense pain to it users, and he appears to as frustrated as anyone else about the problem, and yet is completely powerless to stop it, even though he is in charge of everyone involved. You're focusing on the negative and forgetting the positive. Yes, Windows can be counter-intuitive, but it has enabled millions of people in the world to be more productive. This is why most of the planet is using Windows. > Microsoft has been a slow-motion train wreck for 15 years A lot of companies would love to be able to live for that long (and by the way, it's more like 30+ years). Yes, you will be right at some point in the future, Microsoft will fall. It doesn't seem to be in the near future, though, considering their recent blow out quarters. I'm a Mac user myself, but come on, let's be fair here.

code_duck 15y ago
>Yes, Windows can be counter-intuitive, but it has enabled millions of people in the world to be more productive. This is why most of the planet is using Windows. Personal computers have enabled people to be productive, not Windows. And, the reason most people use Windows is largely for reasons other than the merits of the software.