In 1975, Gerald Ford was the US President. All in the Family was the top TV show. Jaws was the top movie. Captain and Tenille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” was the top song. The Pet Rock was the top trend. And a technological revolution was born.
That technological revolution was Microsoft. This weekend, it celebrated it’s 40th anniversary. It was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. As you know, Microsoft eventually made Gates the richest man of our generation. Gates had such a firm hand on his company that any employee who suggested anything that might weaken company profits would face strict disciplinary action. It was called ‘strategy tax’, and although it destroyed many potential innovations, it created many revolutionary ones that changed the face of computer technology forever. Now Mr. Satya Nadella is the boss, and became so when Microsoft fell in some difficult times. His strategy included turning it from a Windows only to serving a broader range of online services for everyone. That’s paying off, as Microsoft is rolling in $87 billion in revenue. If you recall, Bill Gates stepped down in the early 2000s to focus on his philanthropy with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary, Bill Gates wrote a letter to the company in which he talked about Microsoft’s humble beginnings. He’s optimistic about computing’s future, believing it will evolve the next ten faster than ever before. I truly believe Gates is onto something there. He praises Satya’s leadership. Like many other tech leaders, he vows to make the Internet and other tech resources available to everyone around the world. Gates closed the letter reminiscing on the accomplishments of the last 40 years, and looks forward to the years…I mean…decades to come. But I think about the upcoming Windows 10 coming out later this year. Will Windows 10 help or harm Microsoft’s legacy?