Steve Ballmer

He goes, we got to get all our wood behind one arrow. You know, it's nice to try, I mean, I was listening to you guys talk about Amazon and how they, okay, we're going to try small things, but they also put in small cost structure. We put in big cost structure because we were already all in when we got into something. And so in this particular case, a few years later, and then what do you do?

You get stuck. We have permission to come from behind in a certain way here because we've got windows. That's your point. Exactly your point. So there are lessons to be learned, but for a company that's got an established business, being able to get all the way outside of yourself and say, is this really like what we're doing? Because you really want it to be. You really want it to be.

You get stuck. We have permission to come from behind in a certain way here because we've got windows. That's your point. Exactly your point. So there are lessons to be learned, but for a company that's got an established business, being able to get all the way outside of yourself and say, is this really like what we're doing? Because you really want it to be. You really want it to be.

Or does this really require a different approach that doesn't totally ignore, but doesn't take into account what you own any more than the person starting it afresh? Can you hire new capability or how do you build new capabilities? If it's not like what you're already doing, it must require new capability. If it's exactly like what you're doing, Then you'd be doing it.

Or does this really require a different approach that doesn't totally ignore, but doesn't take into account what you own any more than the person starting it afresh? Can you hire new capability or how do you build new capabilities? If it's not like what you're already doing, it must require new capability. If it's exactly like what you're doing, Then you'd be doing it.

And you should be great at it. And you'd be great at it. So it's the things, you know, just look, two models worked in phone. Build the hardware, capture the profit, have a backend monetization system that even lets you pay the phone manufacturer. That worked, Android slash Google. So two things worked. That's it. And we weren't in either one. We needed new capability. We needed a new idea.

And you should be great at it. And you'd be great at it. So it's the things, you know, just look, two models worked in phone. Build the hardware, capture the profit, have a backend monetization system that even lets you pay the phone manufacturer. That worked, Android slash Google. So two things worked. That's it. And we weren't in either one. We needed new capability. We needed a new idea.

We couldn't use the Windows user interface. I mean, there were a bunch of things, but you have to go all the way. And yet we had a Windows Everywhere slide.

We couldn't use the Windows user interface. I mean, there were a bunch of things, but you have to go all the way. And yet we had a Windows Everywhere slide.

You get locked. I wrote this thing down here. You get locked in your model. We're a platform company. No, we're an app and platform company.

You get locked. I wrote this thing down here. You get locked in your model. We're a platform company. No, we're an app and platform company.

What year Christmas was this? There was the Christmas of blah, blah, blah year, and it was being on time with the stuff we needed for Verizon. There was a Verizon design win because Verizon by now is really feeling like it's getting its ass kicked by AT&T. iPhone launches on AT&T. Right. In July of 2007. And then it might have been Christmas Eve in 2008. Yeah, because App Store launched next year.

What year Christmas was this? There was the Christmas of blah, blah, blah year, and it was being on time with the stuff we needed for Verizon. There was a Verizon design win because Verizon by now is really feeling like it's getting its ass kicked by AT&T. iPhone launches on AT&T. Right. In July of 2007. And then it might have been Christmas Eve in 2008. Yeah, because App Store launched next year.

I think it's Christmas 2008. Yep. Possibly even 09, but I think 08. Because mobile was like this when it started. It could have even been 09. But Verizon, the empire had to strike back against AT&T, and there was a window.

I think it's Christmas 2008. Yep. Possibly even 09, but I think 08. Because mobile was like this when it started. It could have even been 09. But Verizon, the empire had to strike back against AT&T, and there was a window.

We didn't have our stuff. Look, they would have taken our stuff because they could put pressure back on the manufacturers. But we didn't have the stuff they wanted at the right time. They went Android. And then, you know, we kept pushing because that's, you know, I believe in staying hardcore and then learning and fixing. The problem was we were so locked into our model.

We didn't have our stuff. Look, they would have taken our stuff because they could put pressure back on the manufacturers. But we didn't have the stuff they wanted at the right time. They went Android. And then, you know, we kept pushing because that's, you know, I believe in staying hardcore and then learning and fixing. The problem was we were so locked into our model.

It was hard to say, hey, we're going to learn and fix. You know, would Microsoft, you know, I don't know where we would have gone with things on phone if I had stuck around, but I probably would have stayed at it. And maybe it would be an Android phone at this stage. Who knows? And maybe not.

It was hard to say, hey, we're going to learn and fix. You know, would Microsoft, you know, I don't know where we would have gone with things on phone if I had stuck around, but I probably would have stayed at it. And maybe it would be an Android phone at this stage. Who knows? And maybe not.

Because if you think of yourself as just a platform company, you say we can't do that. If you can think of yourself as an app and platform company with apps that are extensible... then you can say, hey, we actually have a pretty cool user experience that can also leverage some things that we do and can leverage our software skills. And it's okay to embrace that competitor and extend.