Bill Gates

and is followed by Bill Gates and Rudy Giuliani walking out on stage together and talking about how bad terrorism is.

and is followed by Bill Gates and Rudy Giuliani walking out on stage together and talking about how bad terrorism is.

Yes. So this happens one month after 9-11 in New York City. And it really underscores what a strange time it was in the U.S. If you had this once-in-three-years product release, and it was going to be in New York October of 2001, you'd probably have this question, should we even do it? Should we make it all about the first responders? Yes.

Yes. So this happens one month after 9-11 in New York City. And it really underscores what a strange time it was in the U.S. If you had this once-in-three-years product release, and it was going to be in New York October of 2001, you'd probably have this question, should we even do it? Should we make it all about the first responders? Yes.

It grounds the whole thing in a very specific moment in history when you're watching it in a way that no other tech event really ever has been grounded in history before. So a few other things that jump out during the keynote. Bill Gates is not the CEO. Steve Ballmer is. And yet, Bill Gates is the one walking out with Rudy Giuliani to kick things off.

It grounds the whole thing in a very specific moment in history when you're watching it in a way that no other tech event really ever has been grounded in history before. So a few other things that jump out during the keynote. Bill Gates is not the CEO. Steve Ballmer is. And yet, Bill Gates is the one walking out with Rudy Giuliani to kick things off.

And that's a strange and somewhat telling element of what Bill's role at the company was. Now, you could argue he was the public-facing figure. He was the founder of the company. It seems very natural. But also, at some point, why isn't the CEO the one doing the keynote? Another thing about Windows XP, there was a new release of Office... right at the same time as XP.

And that's a strange and somewhat telling element of what Bill's role at the company was. Now, you could argue he was the public-facing figure. He was the founder of the company. It seems very natural. But also, at some point, why isn't the CEO the one doing the keynote? Another thing about Windows XP, there was a new release of Office... right at the same time as XP.

This is a classic Microsoft move. They are able to create great applications available on day one, which makes the OS more valuable. And so from the applications perspective, they're able to ensure that they get great market share since they're always adopting the latest and greatest Windows platform right away. So Windows success begets Office success. And it's important to remember that.

This is a classic Microsoft move. They are able to create great applications available on day one, which makes the OS more valuable. And so from the applications perspective, they're able to ensure that they get great market share since they're always adopting the latest and greatest Windows platform right away. So Windows success begets Office success. And it's important to remember that.

That worked for many, many years. And if you remember back to the last episode, Lotus 1.2.3 and WordPerfect smoked Microsoft in Microsoft's own backyard. During the DOS era, Microsoft's productivity apps did not get real adoption in DOS, which is crazy. So when they were making Windows, they basically swore never again.

That worked for many, many years. And if you remember back to the last episode, Lotus 1.2.3 and WordPerfect smoked Microsoft in Microsoft's own backyard. During the DOS era, Microsoft's productivity apps did not get real adoption in DOS, which is crazy. So when they were making Windows, they basically swore never again.

They ensured that they were going to be very early with applications on those platforms. And so as Windows took off, Office also got huge market share. And it's smart to remember this lesson and carry it forward for years, maybe a decade. But again, they may have been on this strategy a few years too long. Forever, it kind of became gospel at Microsoft. So with Windows goes the company.

They ensured that they were going to be very early with applications on those platforms. And so as Windows took off, Office also got huge market share. And it's smart to remember this lesson and carry it forward for years, maybe a decade. But again, they may have been on this strategy a few years too long. Forever, it kind of became gospel at Microsoft. So with Windows goes the company.

And so you need to do things to make sure that Windows is going to continue to succeed because that is our company's platform and livelihood. It's almost like the old Disney adage. So with animation goes the company. And until 2014, Microsoft felt the same way.

And so you need to do things to make sure that Windows is going to continue to succeed because that is our company's platform and livelihood. It's almost like the old Disney adage. So with animation goes the company. And until 2014, Microsoft felt the same way.

And so there's strong incentives everywhere for Microsoft to ensure that Windows is the standardized platform that everyone wants to have on their PCs. because it kind of makes everything else work. And so, of course, they're going to release a new version of Office that shows off the latest and greatest of Windows.

And so there's strong incentives everywhere for Microsoft to ensure that Windows is the standardized platform that everyone wants to have on their PCs. because it kind of makes everything else work. And so, of course, they're going to release a new version of Office that shows off the latest and greatest of Windows.

And I think this XP timeframe is the showcase moment of when that was a great strategy, and we'll contrast that later.

And I think this XP timeframe is the showcase moment of when that was a great strategy, and we'll contrast that later.