> hire the best programmers, give them freedom, and they'll build products that will win in every market. And, well, that hasn't happened There are 2 dimension

> hire the best programmers, give them freedom, and they'll build products that will win in every market. And, well, that hasn't happened There are 2 dimensions in this equations (1) best programmers (2) management. They might have hired best engineers, but not the best management. Maybe the management ruined them, by putting profits above everything else. Keep in mind, some of those management/MBA people have tendency to put promotion above anything else.