7 ms·

A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

54 points by ttuominen 13y ago

Zigurd 13y ago
Two problems with that: Bill Gates hasn't got Steve jobs's ego,and he hasn't got anything to prove. The days where PCs took over from minicomputers, and where Microsoft was the disruptor, are long gone. It isn't clear if Gates or anyone else can make Microsoft disruptive again. That's too bad, because one of the few sources of truly novel work in operating systems is Microsoft Research.
- bad_user 13y ago
  Oh, I really think you're underestimating Bill Gates. The days of disruption stopped for Microsoft when he left. For example, I bet that Bill Gates would have foreseen the iPhone as a really big threat from day one and we would now be marveling at one of his famous internal angry emails that changed Microsoft's direction (leaked because of a new anti-trust suit, no doubt). Bill Gates is no Steve Jobs, but he's a heck of a strategist and even now I don't think there's anybody that wants him as an opponent. For me, it's not sad that Bill Gates left Microsoft. They were too big, too powerful, too eager to eat the launch of other companies. The industry is better off without him at Microsoft's helm.
  - 4ad 13y ago
    > Bill Gates would have foreseen the iPhone as a really big threat from day one and we would now be marveling at one of his famous internal angry emails that changed Microsoft's direction Just like he foresaw the Internet as a big threat, right?
    - aryastark 13y ago
      As far as web applications dominating and taking over market share from the Windows ecosystem? Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Java_Virtual_Machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Java_Virtual_Machine > Sun Microsystems, the creator of Java, sued Microsoft in October 1997 for incompletely implementing the Java 1.1 standard.[2] It was also named in the United States v. Microsoft antitrust civil actions, as an implementation of Microsoft's Embrace, extend and extinguish strategy You can bet all the money in the world that Gates would have been acutely aware of the App Store. The App Store is, after all, Apple doing to the handheld market what Microsoft did to IBM and the PC. Which is, establishing themselves as a gate-keeper for all things mobile.
      - 4ad 13y ago
        Web applications from the last decade don't have anything to do with Java. Nothing. The web as it exists now is something Microsoft never understood; not even now.
        aryastark 13y ago
        You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Why do you think Netscape created something called Javascript (emphasis on Java)? The answer is obvious if you lived in the late '90s. Java was a real threat to the desktop. That doesn't mean MS was wrong. They were. But Bill Gates didn't have his head up his ass, either.
        4ad 13y ago
        Javascript doesn't have anything to do with Java.
- sergiosgc 13y ago
  And yet, most of that research had trouble getting into the main OS. Linux isn't bleeding edge, when measured against research, but it's basic components (process scheduler, I/O scheduler, huge table manager) are leaps and bounds better than what's in Windows today. Network-wise, BSD is better than anything Microsoft ever published. Where's the disconnect at Microsoft that allows this to happen? They have the knowledge in-house, that's a given.
- tmzt 13y ago
  It's true that Microsoft Research is working on operating systems, including something to someday maybe replace NT. But the the biggest problem they've been working on has been input, specifically voice and touch input. Somebody has to be the leader in the voice driven interface, as always on communications in cars become the norm, users are going to run into the wall that is Siri, Google Now, Samsung S Voice, and the OEM platforms behind them. They just aren't that capable, they can't really deliver voice results to simple questions, or effectively control navigation. They can't do full queries of contacts or calendars, or integrate with other systems. They are limited by the bandwidth of the company building them. Microsoft was always about empowering developers to create software, and voice is a platform with no category killer. There are no good APIs for voice input, no good app store for delivering small pieces of functionality to expand the ability of a voice interface, and no real work is going into building one. The smartphone is seen as a device with a focus on interaction through the screen, but it is an audio-based device, a telephone, and it makes sense for the wide capabilities of it's applications to be available through a hands-free interface.
jlgreco 13y ago
What in the world could you possibly offer Bill Gates if he had no interest in doing something?
- pdenya 13y ago
  I read it more like they'd go to Bill Gates saying "We think you're the best man for this job, all these people agree, will you take the reins for a year" and if he accepted it'd be because he cares about MS, etc.
- jonnathanson 13y ago
  Pretty much the only thing you could offer him would be the chance to save his baby. He started the company, he built it up, and now he could (in theory) save it. It's a legacy thing. Bill Gates's legacy is pretty secure, and obviously he's not hurting for cash. And it seems as if he's in a more humanitarian mission at this stage in his life. But if there were anything that could lure him back, my guess is that it would be the goal of keeping Microsoft relevant -- making it into a 100+ year company.
unono 13y ago
Microsoft should seriously consider hiring Elon Musk or a famous, Googler, Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin, or Larry Page, though the googlers might not pass anti-trust investigations. The need a PR makeover, and Google and Tesla are the best brands in tech. Another choice, PG. It would be refreshing to genuine tech talent at the top instead of another career climber. PG could turn Microsoft into a giant startup factory and literally explode the market cap to trillions. Microsoft investors need to seriously consider this option.
- unknownian 13y ago
  >PG could turn Microsoft into a giant startup factory Has that ever been Microsoft's goal?
  - zalzane 13y ago
    I don't think it would even be financially feasible. If microsoft was to fund 500 internal startups tomorrow, what's the chance any of them would even produce any real revenue? Out of the thousands of startups that are active today, how many of them have even the remote potential to generate 1b in revenue, or even be successful? This isnt even considering how maintaining 500 internal startups would be a micromanagement nightmare. How can you tell if someone is worth keeping? With the failure rate of startups so high, does that mean you should fire startup cells when they fail? The resources that would be used to maintain such a division would probably be much better used focusing on one new, amazing product - backed with loads of market research and QA. You cant ship that kind of product with 5 developers and a years worth of hotpockets.
    - unono 13y ago
      That's a good comment, however, I have to disagree. Those management problems are software problems. And I'm sure PG, as well as the other software talents at MS would relish the opportunity to systematize it in software.
- sharkweek 13y ago
  I legitimately can't tell if this is serious or not
bajsejohannes 13y ago
I'd much rather have Bill Gates continue trying to save the world.
- the_economist 13y ago
  If he had a second tenure at Microsoft as successful as the first, his efforts to save the world would be even more well-funded.
  - rvivek 13y ago
    It's rarely about the money at this point. It's probably time and bandwidth that's limiting his efforts.
  - kmfrk 13y ago
    Last I checked, Bill Gates was the richest person in the world. And that was something like a few weeks ago.
    - stingraycharles 13y ago
      I find that hard to believe. Weren't there a few oil sheiks with more money?
      - deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
      - jlgreco 13y ago
        Forbes has him at number two, with Carlos Slim from Mexico still as number one. Regardless, I think it is pretty apparent that money is not his bottleneck.
        bpicolo 13y ago
        http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/05/bill-gates-once-again-worlds-richest-person/ http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/05/bill-gates-once... Forbes last calculated in March. Gates overtook more recently.
cuadraman 13y ago
Bill Gates has lost his 'appettite for destruction'. Even on exile, Steve Jobs kept building blasting technological disruptions (ie. Pixar). Bill Gates has his focus on philantropy, he's retired and won't be the captain hungry Microsoft needs.
outside1234 13y ago
Sheryl Sandberg please! She has clearly earned her shot at the big leagues.
pearjuice 13y ago
If I were him I would never-ever take that position as a CEO ever again. He is basically living the dream right now without debts to Microsoft - like unfinished duty or bad rep - and a clean name (founder of MS, steered himself and MS into billionairity yet giving away all his money now). Unless it is guaranteed Microsoft will climb out of the hole it is in when Gates gets on top, it can only hurt him in terms of pressure and imago. He should stay in the think tank and consulting group, far away from anything really mission critical. No, Gates deserves to be remembered as-is and not as a broken, old man who desperately tried to save an old legacy company to the day he died.
- foolfoolz 13y ago
  what hole is microsoft in?
  - pearjuice 13y ago
    One which catches companies when they approach or are of beomoth-size. They are unable to move, grow or clean themselves in that hole, yet manage to live for years on end due to fat reserves and build relations which will throw them supplies from above.
  - kevingbell 13y ago
    the one without all the google/apple money
  - jlgreco 13y ago
    The one that prompted this proposal in the first place?
- CamperBob2 13y ago
  Agreed, the best he could hope for is to become the next Michael Dell.
- ics 13y ago
  Surely what Mr. Gates needs to do here is start a scrappy little tech startup, hide it away from the world for a few months/years, while developing all the stuff he wished MS could do if it wasn't in debt to its current customer base, and then infiltrate MS under guise of a courtesy acquisition.
bitwize 13y ago
Screw Gates. Get Paul Allen in there.
- RyJones 13y ago
  Are you short MSFT?
forgotAgain 13y ago
I'm sure Benioff would love to see Gates return as the Microsoft CEO. Nothing could be better. Better for Salesforce that is. Gates' time has passed. I'm sure any insights he has had over the last few years have been passed on to Ballmer. Microsoft needs to change. Gates would bring more of the same.
IvyMike 13y ago
Bill Gates' biggest act of genius may have been to leave when he did, right before MS entered the bad part of The Innovator's Dilemma.
marcamillion 13y ago
Don't think this makes sense. People seem to forget but MSFT's stagnation started under Bill's reign. It just continued under Ballmer. Bill was the one that 'vowed to crush Google' by investing $2B in R&D in search and web services. We see how much that worked. I think they should get someone that can lead them into the web services future - not someone that is deeply attached to the desktop.
andrewhillman 13y ago
Bill Gates mission was to put a computer on every desk and in every home. He crushed this goal and is now doing truly amazing things through his philanthropic efforts. Compared to what he is doing now, running Microsoft is just not that important.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
mabhatter 13y ago
what has Bill Gates DONE in the TECH industry that deserves sitting in the big chair of the most influential tech company? Steve Jobs had a comeback Jesus would be jealous of, but he also founded/built up TWO rockstar level companies Pixar and Next Computing in the ten years being kicked out of Apple. Bill Gates is just doing charity work... he's out of the game.
- pigscantfly 13y ago
  Well, for one thing, he founded it. And to be honest, I'd rather have another billionaire doing philanthropic work than working on another Pixar.

54 points by ttuominen 13y ago

Two problems with that: Bill Gates hasn't got Steve jobs's ego,and he hasn't got anything to prove. The days where PCs took over from minicomputers, and where Microsoft was the disruptor, are long gone. It isn't clear if Gates or anyone else can make Microsoft disruptive again. That's too bad, because one of the few sources of truly novel work in operating systems is Microsoft Research.

bad_user 13y ago
Oh, I really think you're underestimating Bill Gates. The days of disruption stopped for Microsoft when he left. For example, I bet that Bill Gates would have foreseen the iPhone as a really big threat from day one and we would now be marveling at one of his famous internal angry emails that changed Microsoft's direction (leaked because of a new anti-trust suit, no doubt). Bill Gates is no Steve Jobs, but he's a heck of a strategist and even now I don't think there's anybody that wants him as an opponent. For me, it's not sad that Bill Gates left Microsoft. They were too big, too powerful, too eager to eat the launch of other companies. The industry is better off without him at Microsoft's helm.
- 4ad 13y ago
  > Bill Gates would have foreseen the iPhone as a really big threat from day one and we would now be marveling at one of his famous internal angry emails that changed Microsoft's direction Just like he foresaw the Internet as a big threat, right?
  - aryastark 13y ago
    As far as web applications dominating and taking over market share from the Windows ecosystem? Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Java_Virtual_Machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Java_Virtual_Machine > Sun Microsystems, the creator of Java, sued Microsoft in October 1997 for incompletely implementing the Java 1.1 standard.[2] It was also named in the United States v. Microsoft antitrust civil actions, as an implementation of Microsoft's Embrace, extend and extinguish strategy You can bet all the money in the world that Gates would have been acutely aware of the App Store. The App Store is, after all, Apple doing to the handheld market what Microsoft did to IBM and the PC. Which is, establishing themselves as a gate-keeper for all things mobile.
    - 4ad 13y ago
      Web applications from the last decade don't have anything to do with Java. Nothing. The web as it exists now is something Microsoft never understood; not even now.
      - aryastark 13y ago
        You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Why do you think Netscape created something called Javascript (emphasis on Java)? The answer is obvious if you lived in the late '90s. Java was a real threat to the desktop. That doesn't mean MS was wrong. They were. But Bill Gates didn't have his head up his ass, either.
        4ad 13y ago
        Javascript doesn't have anything to do with Java.
sergiosgc 13y ago
And yet, most of that research had trouble getting into the main OS. Linux isn't bleeding edge, when measured against research, but it's basic components (process scheduler, I/O scheduler, huge table manager) are leaps and bounds better than what's in Windows today. Network-wise, BSD is better than anything Microsoft ever published. Where's the disconnect at Microsoft that allows this to happen? They have the knowledge in-house, that's a given.
tmzt 13y ago
It's true that Microsoft Research is working on operating systems, including something to someday maybe replace NT. But the the biggest problem they've been working on has been input, specifically voice and touch input. Somebody has to be the leader in the voice driven interface, as always on communications in cars become the norm, users are going to run into the wall that is Siri, Google Now, Samsung S Voice, and the OEM platforms behind them. They just aren't that capable, they can't really deliver voice results to simple questions, or effectively control navigation. They can't do full queries of contacts or calendars, or integrate with other systems. They are limited by the bandwidth of the company building them. Microsoft was always about empowering developers to create software, and voice is a platform with no category killer. There are no good APIs for voice input, no good app store for delivering small pieces of functionality to expand the ability of a voice interface, and no real work is going into building one. The smartphone is seen as a device with a focus on interaction through the screen, but it is an audio-based device, a telephone, and it makes sense for the wide capabilities of it's applications to be available through a hands-free interface.

jlgreco 13y ago

What in the world could you possibly offer Bill Gates if he had no interest in doing something?

pdenya 13y ago
I read it more like they'd go to Bill Gates saying "We think you're the best man for this job, all these people agree, will you take the reins for a year" and if he accepted it'd be because he cares about MS, etc.
jonnathanson 13y ago
Pretty much the only thing you could offer him would be the chance to save his baby. He started the company, he built it up, and now he could (in theory) save it. It's a legacy thing. Bill Gates's legacy is pretty secure, and obviously he's not hurting for cash. And it seems as if he's in a more humanitarian mission at this stage in his life. But if there were anything that could lure him back, my guess is that it would be the goal of keeping Microsoft relevant -- making it into a 100+ year company.

unono 13y ago

Microsoft should seriously consider hiring Elon Musk or a famous, Googler, Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin, or Larry Page, though the googlers might not pass anti-trust investigations. The need a PR makeover, and Google and Tesla are the best brands in tech. Another choice, PG. It would be refreshing to genuine tech talent at the top instead of another career climber. PG could turn Microsoft into a giant startup factory and literally explode the market cap to trillions. Microsoft investors need to seriously consider this option.

unknownian 13y ago
>PG could turn Microsoft into a giant startup factory Has that ever been Microsoft's goal?
- zalzane 13y ago
  I don't think it would even be financially feasible. If microsoft was to fund 500 internal startups tomorrow, what's the chance any of them would even produce any real revenue? Out of the thousands of startups that are active today, how many of them have even the remote potential to generate 1b in revenue, or even be successful? This isnt even considering how maintaining 500 internal startups would be a micromanagement nightmare. How can you tell if someone is worth keeping? With the failure rate of startups so high, does that mean you should fire startup cells when they fail? The resources that would be used to maintain such a division would probably be much better used focusing on one new, amazing product - backed with loads of market research and QA. You cant ship that kind of product with 5 developers and a years worth of hotpockets.
  - unono 13y ago
    That's a good comment, however, I have to disagree. Those management problems are software problems. And I'm sure PG, as well as the other software talents at MS would relish the opportunity to systematize it in software.
sharkweek 13y ago
I legitimately can't tell if this is serious or not

bajsejohannes 13y ago

I'd much rather have Bill Gates continue trying to save the world.

the_economist 13y ago
If he had a second tenure at Microsoft as successful as the first, his efforts to save the world would be even more well-funded.
- rvivek 13y ago
  It's rarely about the money at this point. It's probably time and bandwidth that's limiting his efforts.
- kmfrk 13y ago
  Last I checked, Bill Gates was the richest person in the world. And that was something like a few weeks ago.
  - stingraycharles 13y ago
    I find that hard to believe. Weren't there a few oil sheiks with more money?
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
    - jlgreco 13y ago
      Forbes has him at number two, with Carlos Slim from Mexico still as number one. Regardless, I think it is pretty apparent that money is not his bottleneck.
      - bpicolo 13y ago
        http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/05/bill-gates-once-again-worlds-richest-person/ http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/05/bill-gates-once... Forbes last calculated in March. Gates overtook more recently.

cuadraman 13y ago

Bill Gates has lost his 'appettite for destruction'. Even on exile, Steve Jobs kept building blasting technological disruptions (ie. Pixar). Bill Gates has his focus on philantropy, he's retired and won't be the captain hungry Microsoft needs.

outside1234 13y ago

Sheryl Sandberg please! She has clearly earned her shot at the big leagues.

pearjuice 13y ago

If I were him I would never-ever take that position as a CEO ever again. He is basically living the dream right now without debts to Microsoft - like unfinished duty or bad rep - and a clean name (founder of MS, steered himself and MS into billionairity yet giving away all his money now). Unless it is guaranteed Microsoft will climb out of the hole it is in when Gates gets on top, it can only hurt him in terms of pressure and imago. He should stay in the think tank and consulting group, far away from anything really mission critical. No, Gates deserves to be remembered as-is and not as a broken, old man who desperately tried to save an old legacy company to the day he died.

foolfoolz 13y ago
what hole is microsoft in?
- pearjuice 13y ago
  One which catches companies when they approach or are of beomoth-size. They are unable to move, grow or clean themselves in that hole, yet manage to live for years on end due to fat reserves and build relations which will throw them supplies from above.
- kevingbell 13y ago
  the one without all the google/apple money
- jlgreco 13y ago
  The one that prompted this proposal in the first place?
CamperBob2 13y ago
Agreed, the best he could hope for is to become the next Michael Dell.
ics 13y ago
Surely what Mr. Gates needs to do here is start a scrappy little tech startup, hide it away from the world for a few months/years, while developing all the stuff he wished MS could do if it wasn't in debt to its current customer base, and then infiltrate MS under guise of a courtesy acquisition.

bitwize 13y ago

Screw Gates. Get Paul Allen in there.

RyJones 13y ago
Are you short MSFT?

forgotAgain 13y ago

I'm sure Benioff would love to see Gates return as the Microsoft CEO. Nothing could be better. Better for Salesforce that is. Gates' time has passed. I'm sure any insights he has had over the last few years have been passed on to Ballmer. Microsoft needs to change. Gates would bring more of the same.

IvyMike 13y ago

Bill Gates' biggest act of genius may have been to leave when he did, right before MS entered the bad part of The Innovator's Dilemma.

marcamillion 13y ago

Don't think this makes sense. People seem to forget but MSFT's stagnation started under Bill's reign. It just continued under Ballmer. Bill was the one that 'vowed to crush Google' by investing $2B in R&D in search and web services. We see how much that worked. I think they should get someone that can lead them into the web services future - not someone that is deeply attached to the desktop.

andrewhillman 13y ago

Bill Gates mission was to put a computer on every desk and in every home. He crushed this goal and is now doing truly amazing things through his philanthropic efforts. Compared to what he is doing now, running Microsoft is just not that important.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

mabhatter 13y ago

what has Bill Gates DONE in the TECH industry that deserves sitting in the big chair of the most influential tech company? Steve Jobs had a comeback Jesus would be jealous of, but he also founded/built up TWO rockstar level companies Pixar and Next Computing in the ten years being kicked out of Apple. Bill Gates is just doing charity work... he's out of the game.

pigscantfly 13y ago
Well, for one thing, he founded it. And to be honest, I'd rather have another billionaire doing philanthropic work than working on another Pixar.