> I already know what the reaction to this essay will be. Half the readers will say that Microsoft is still an enormously profitable company, and that I should

> I already know what the reaction to this essay will be. Half the readers will say that Microsoft is still an enormously profitable company, and that I should be more careful about drawing conclusions based on what a few people think in our insular little "Web 2.0" bubble. The other half, the younger half, will complain that this is old news. With 17 years of hindsight to our benefit, my reaction is both of these things at the same time.