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A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

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Re: A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

#21

Post by gdilla »

unono wrote: post #9
sharkweek wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I legitimately can't tell if this is serious or not

Totally serious. Much of Apple's meteoric rise in the 2000s was because of the Steve Jobs brand, and Apple 2000s is the success you want to copy. All the above listed are the biggest names in tech today. There are others, Gates, Ellison, Zuckerburg, but I don't consider them as talented as the ones I listed.

Much of Apple's metoric rise in the 2000s was from destroying everyone in mp3 players and then 2008, a thing called the iPhone. And selling lots of those.

Re: A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

#23

Post by unknownian »

IanChiles wrote: post #8
unono wrote: post #4

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 an…

There's absolutely no incentive MS can offer any of the named people to work for them. So I'm not sure if you're joking, or...?

Furthermore, GP assumes that having a famous famous or well-loved organization is the only measure of a good leader. I don't think I agree. There are some great leaders/tech minds that run great businesses that people don't know about. Focusing on popularity is a cardinal sin to me at least.

Re: A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

#24

Post by unono »

sliverstorm wrote: post #10
sharkweek wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I legitimately can't tell if this is serious or not

It wasn't clear, until the trillions part.

You appear to delight in tearing down my suggestion with your multiple comments, and in knocking PG - whilst on PG's site.

The biggest successes are in tech are from highly regarded, but less socially polished, techies (classic nerds), not manager types people which you appear to be pushing for (witness Balmer or Whitman).

Re: A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

#26

Post by unono »

gdilla wrote: post #21
unono wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally serious. Much of Apple's meteoric rise in the 2000s was because of the Steve Jobs brand, and Apple 2000s is the success you want to copy. All the above listed are the biggest names in tech today. There are others, Gates, Ellison, Zuckerburg, but I don't consider them as talented as the ones I listed.

Much of Apple's metoric rise in the 2000s was from destroying everyone in mp3 players and then 2008, a thing called the iPhone. And selling lots of those.

And how did they do that?

Buzz, created by Steve Jobs, much of it from his pioneer status from the 80s. They had a built-in market to whom they can sell high-priced items (Apple fanboys) where they recoup costs. Then, after that, they make profits from non-fanboys. (They don't like to talk about this, but that's how they internally plan it).

Re: A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

#27

Post by sliverstorm »

unono wrote: post #24
sliverstorm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wasn't clear, until the trillions part.

You appear to delight in tearing down my suggestion with your multiple comments, and in knocking PG - whilst on PG's site. The biggest successes are in tech are from highly regarded, but less socially polished, techies (classic nerds), not manager types people which you appear to be pushing for (witness Balmer or Whitman).

You appear to delight in tearing down my suggestion with your multiple comments

Microsoft has 8329956402 shares outstanding. Do you honestly believe that MSFT stock price can rise to value in the trillions, making the MSFT market cap ten sextillion dollars?

knocking PG - whilst on PG's site.

First, I wasn't knocking pg, I was asking a question. Second, when did use of his site constitute a requirement to idolize him?

The biggest successes are in tech from...

Ah, the ol' "techies can do everyone elses job better than them" trope. Yes, we are so awesome! Why should you have a dentist give you a root canal, when you could have a classic nerd do it instead!

Re: A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

#28

Post by mcintyre1994 »

unono wrote: post #17
sliverstorm wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is pg actually a tech talent? No offense to pg, but my understanding of the man is he is a good investor, not necessarily a technical genius or a kickass CEO.

harvard comp sci phd, repopularized lisp, successful sale to yahoo, created the biggest tech news forum (HN), Most Importantly - has almost turned creating startups into an assembly line.

Alright, all great things for a startup guy but I don't think they're the qualities required for the CEO of a multibillion sprawling company. They have no need to popularise or use lisp, no need to sell companies and I'm not convinced this is bigger than eg /r/technology? Not that that's a bad thing, but it's a bold claim to say this is the biggest tech news forum.

Way more importantly though, PG hasn't turned creating startups into an assembly line. The closest thing to an assembly line he's got is converting strong founders into startups, and still the majority 'fail'. For him to continue that at Microsoft, Microsoft would need to attract strong founders consistently and there's no reason to suspect they can. My suspicion is Microsoft has about as many billion-dollar units as PG has billion-dollar investments, so the actual value is unclear.

Don't get me wrong, PG has a proven history in startups, technology, investments, he writes well, he seems incredibly smart.. but I don't think he nor Microsoft think he has the qualities of a Microsoft CEO.

Re: A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

#29

Post by pearjuice »

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.

Re: A vote for Bill Gates as interim Microsoft CEO

#30

Post by bad_user »

Zigurd wrote: post #20

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.

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.

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