Mike Cane describes why Microsoft’s execs may have issues in the future:
All of those people are now fat, contented cats who no longer have to chase after mice.
If they all lost their jobs tomorrow, they could sit on their fat asses and watch TV. They don’t have to go out and hunt for their daily food. They’re vested and rich and contented.
Bill Gates didn’t come from an impoverished background, but he still had a hunger.
I think I was mulling over a similar thought over the last week since Bill Gates’ departure. In late June, some internal memos came to light from inside Microsoft which showed me several things.
- Microsoft used to be great.
- Bill stopped paying attention and the company got sloppy
- Once sloppy, it couldn’t be turned
- Bill decided to leave.
I’m going to be talking a bit about Microsoft, including highlighting some of the great work they are currently doing in some areas but I am expressing concern that, being an Apple consumer, I may have done a disservice to Mister Gates.
Bill Gates, for all of his faults (and convenient memory lapses during the Department of justice investigation into his company’s wrongdoings), was an exceptional person and should probably be remembered as such now that he’s no longer working in the industry. It’s a shame though because there are few people who could turn Microsoft around again and the Redmond giant is now going to experience some of the succession pains that Apple will have to go through in a few short years. There’s no-one obviously to fill Bill’s shoes and that’s such a terrible shame.
Mike continues:
…what about Steve Jobs? He’s old too.
Yeah — but he’s still a mad malcontented son of bitch who causes trouble and shits on everyone else’s efforts
Contentment. To be both avoided and strived for. It’ll kill you.