Steve Ballmer

That IT can handle and a platform that lets developers build around those and based around those, whether they're building for users, users and IT, or in some instances just for IT people because there's a lot of tools that are just for IT people.

Yeah, I did, I think. Well, it's 1980. When I get here, the company started obviously in 1975, and there were IBM computers. Oh, yeah, and a couple others. But literally people would say there's IBM computers. And the bunch. And the bunch was Burroughs, Univac, NCR, Control Data, and Honeywell. But they were just the bunch. IBM. And IBM did the mainframe. And it did the software.

Yeah, I did, I think. Well, it's 1980. When I get here, the company started obviously in 1975, and there were IBM computers. Oh, yeah, and a couple others. But literally people would say there's IBM computers. And the bunch. And the bunch was Burroughs, Univac, NCR, Control Data, and Honeywell. But they were just the bunch. IBM. And IBM did the mainframe. And it did the software.

And it did the service. It did everything in computing. Everything. Everything. And then you had this little upstart try again called digital equipment. Yep. Very important in our story because Dave Cutler, who was kind of the father of NT, Windows NT, he came from digital equipment. And they were fighting. They were scrappy. They were mini computers.

And it did the service. It did everything in computing. Everything. Everything. And then you had this little upstart try again called digital equipment. Yep. Very important in our story because Dave Cutler, who was kind of the father of NT, Windows NT, he came from digital equipment. And they were fighting. They were scrappy. They were mini computers.

So smaller than a room, but definitely bigger than a PC, if you will. And all the initial Microsoft software was developed actually on DEC computers. Digital equipment equals DEC. And DEC had a nice business, but it was a lot smaller than IBM. If IBM breathed, that was the direction the computer industry would go. And IBM was the subject of an antitrust lawsuit, shockingly, in 1969.

So smaller than a room, but definitely bigger than a PC, if you will. And all the initial Microsoft software was developed actually on DEC computers. Digital equipment equals DEC. And DEC had a nice business, but it was a lot smaller than IBM. If IBM breathed, that was the direction the computer industry would go. And IBM was the subject of an antitrust lawsuit, shockingly, in 1969.

That didn't actually get settled, I think, until shortly after I got here in the term of Reagan.

That didn't actually get settled, I think, until shortly after I got here in the term of Reagan.

Ah. I don't remember. It may be when they had to unbundle. In fact, I think it was when they had to unbundle the operating system from the mainframe hardware so people could build IBM compatible mainframes. And then one day, shortly after I got here, Some guys from IBM call and they say, hey, can we come see you?

Ah. I don't remember. It may be when they had to unbundle. In fact, I think it was when they had to unbundle the operating system from the mainframe hardware so people could build IBM compatible mainframes. And then one day, shortly after I got here, Some guys from IBM call and they say, hey, can we come see you?

And you're going to have to sign an agreement that says you can use nothing we tell you, anything you tell us we can use. And so these guys showed up and they told us after we signed their agreement that they wanted to build a PC and they were hoping to get the operating system and Some of our language software for it. And they were coming to you for the language software?

And you're going to have to sign an agreement that says you can use nothing we tell you, anything you tell us we can use. And so these guys showed up and they told us after we signed their agreement that they wanted to build a PC and they were hoping to get the operating system and Some of our language software for it. And they were coming to you for the language software?

No, they came to us for the operating system. Ah. Now, why? You'd say, we weren't in the operating system business. We had a card called the CPM soft card or the soft card for the Apple II. It was a card that plugged into an Apple II. that ran CPM, not our operating system.

No, they came to us for the operating system. Ah. Now, why? You'd say, we weren't in the operating system business. We had a card called the CPM soft card or the soft card for the Apple II. It was a card that plugged into an Apple II. that ran CPM, not our operating system.

Gary Kildall Digital Research was the name of the company. But we had licensed it to put on this card that plugged in the Apple II. And somehow IBM thought they could license CPM even though it wasn't our product, they thought they could license it from us.

Gary Kildall Digital Research was the name of the company. But we had licensed it to put on this card that plugged in the Apple II. And somehow IBM thought they could license CPM even though it wasn't our product, they thought they could license it from us.

And we said, no, no, no, but you can license our language software, but there are these guys down in Pacific Grove, California, and Bill called Gary Kildall and said, there's some guys, they want to talk to you. They're important. And Gary, they went down there and they didn't sign the non-disclosure agreement.

And we said, no, no, no, but you can license our language software, but there are these guys down in Pacific Grove, California, and Bill called Gary Kildall and said, there's some guys, they want to talk to you. They're important. And Gary, they went down there and they didn't sign the non-disclosure agreement.

And in the meantime, there was a company here in Seattle called Seattle Computer Products that had a little CPM clone.