Bill Gates

All right, let's do this.

All right, let's do this.

Welcome to Season 14, Episode 6, the season finale of Acquired, the podcast about great companies and the stories and playbooks behind them. I'm Ben Gilbert. I'm David Rosenthal. And we are your hosts. Well, listeners, here we are, Microsoft Volume 2 at long last.

Welcome to Season 14, Episode 6, the season finale of Acquired, the podcast about great companies and the stories and playbooks behind them. I'm Ben Gilbert. I'm David Rosenthal. And we are your hosts. Well, listeners, here we are, Microsoft Volume 2 at long last.

After the ancient history of Volume 1, we now get to the stuff that you grew up with, the internet, Windows XP, Xbox, the browser, search, and mobile. And in this era, Microsoft had a lot of the right ideas. with a lot of the wrong timing and execution on everything from the Zune to Bing.

After the ancient history of Volume 1, we now get to the stuff that you grew up with, the internet, Windows XP, Xbox, the browser, search, and mobile. And in this era, Microsoft had a lot of the right ideas. with a lot of the wrong timing and execution on everything from the Zune to Bing.

But despite that, from 1995, where we start our story, to 2014, where we will end this episode, Microsoft grew their annual revenue from $6 billion to $80 billion. They became a phenomenally successful company and really cracked the code on selling enterprise software. I began the research thinking our part one episode would be about the rise and this episode would be about the fall.

But despite that, from 1995, where we start our story, to 2014, where we will end this episode, Microsoft grew their annual revenue from $6 billion to $80 billion. They became a phenomenally successful company and really cracked the code on selling enterprise software. I began the research thinking our part one episode would be about the rise and this episode would be about the fall.

Cultural problems, failed consumer products, antitrust, but it's really not that straightforward. And after spending months unpacking it all, I actually don't think that's the right framing anyway. And on Microsoft's 1998 antitrust suit against the Department of Justice, everyone knows of this case, but most people really have no idea what actually happened. Did Microsoft lose?

Cultural problems, failed consumer products, antitrust, but it's really not that straightforward. And after spending months unpacking it all, I actually don't think that's the right framing anyway. And on Microsoft's 1998 antitrust suit against the Department of Justice, everyone knows of this case, but most people really have no idea what actually happened. Did Microsoft lose?

Well, not really, but the answer is nuanced. Finally, today, we dive into it all. Oh, and listeners, we have just one announcement for you here today. Yes. We told you before that September 10th, we are doing the biggest thing in Acquired's history, and we're doing it in the city of San Francisco.

Well, not really, but the answer is nuanced. Finally, today, we dive into it all. Oh, and listeners, we have just one announcement for you here today. Yes. We told you before that September 10th, we are doing the biggest thing in Acquired's history, and we're doing it in the city of San Francisco.

Yeah, it'll be a night to remember with a few different phases of the evening. There's going to be lots of opportunities to meet other acquired listeners from around the world. And a big show like this deserves a big special guest. And that special guest is the one and only Mark Zuckerberg.

Yeah, it'll be a night to remember with a few different phases of the evening. There's going to be lots of opportunities to meet other acquired listeners from around the world. And a big show like this deserves a big special guest. And that special guest is the one and only Mark Zuckerberg.

So in addition to being the central figure in some of the greatest acquisitions of all time that we have covered right here on Acquired, Mark and Meta are also playing a big role in defining the next decade of computing with AI, too. So it's shaping up to be a total blast. We really hope you can join us.

So in addition to being the central figure in some of the greatest acquisitions of all time that we have covered right here on Acquired, Mark and Meta are also playing a big role in defining the next decade of computing with AI, too. So it's shaping up to be a total blast. We really hope you can join us.

We're pumped. We'll see you there. This show is not investment advice. David and I may have investments in the companies that we discuss, and so do all of you if you own index funds. And this show is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Okay, David, the middle chapter of Microsoft.

We're pumped. We'll see you there. This show is not investment advice. David and I may have investments in the companies that we discuss, and so do all of you if you own index funds. And this show is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Okay, David, the middle chapter of Microsoft.

Yeah, David, you're burying the lead here a little bit. We talked to probably four to five times as many people as the next highest episode. I'm looking at our little thank you list. It's like 20-something people long.

Yeah, David, you're burying the lead here a little bit. We talked to probably four to five times as many people as the next highest episode. I'm looking at our little thank you list. It's like 20-something people long.