Steve Ballmer

You wanted to buy Facebook. I'm going to tell you why. It's either... Sure, because we were still on the Paul Allen strategy. We've got to do all the software that these things will ever need. I mean, it was still of the mindset that said, and there's an arrogance to that, and there's a hunger to that that says, there's just nothing we shouldn't do. And I don't think that was a good mindset by...

The time I took over, and yet it was still sort of baked in with Bill, baked in with me, and I think that was a mistake. Social doesn't get you. This is like asking me to pick between negative children, I don't know. But the phone, because it was a client-side device, or search, because it was a productivity tool. Microsoft, both of those were Microsoft big businesses. Yep.

The time I took over, and yet it was still sort of baked in with Bill, baked in with me, and I think that was a mistake. Social doesn't get you. This is like asking me to pick between negative children, I don't know. But the phone, because it was a client-side device, or search, because it was a productivity tool. Microsoft, both of those were Microsoft big businesses. Yep.

The desktop, the phone, or office, or client-side devices, we had done well with a certain model. Client-side devices, our minds should have been able to wrap around, but we had to tell ourselves it didn't look the same. It's not what it is. Technology didn't look the same, nor did business model.

The desktop, the phone, or office, or client-side devices, we had done well with a certain model. Client-side devices, our minds should have been able to wrap around, but we had to tell ourselves it didn't look the same. It's not what it is. Technology didn't look the same, nor did business model.

By 05? I don't think so. Not later on? I think so. But not by 05. I would suspect not. I mean, you can go check it out. But isn't that astonishing that of the pie of- And for enterprise PCs, PCs bought by businesses, it certainly wouldn't have been the case. For consumer PC, it could well have already been the case, right? I mean, it actually is a notable difference because of everything else.

By 05? I don't think so. Not later on? I think so. But not by 05. I would suspect not. I mean, you can go check it out. But isn't that astonishing that of the pie of- And for enterprise PCs, PCs bought by businesses, it certainly wouldn't have been the case. For consumer PC, it could well have already been the case, right? I mean, it actually is a notable difference because of everything else.

Our post-sales monetization was with applications. Theirs were with ads. But it's a new productivity app. We put Office on the Mac by then. We would have had to put productivity elsewhere. So in the sense that we missed a major productivity area, and we're in the productivity business, and we were in the client area, and we missed a client device. Those are the two. Nothing else we missed.

Our post-sales monetization was with applications. Theirs were with ads. But it's a new productivity app. We put Office on the Mac by then. We would have had to put productivity elsewhere. So in the sense that we missed a major productivity area, and we're in the productivity business, and we were in the client area, and we missed a client device. Those are the two. Nothing else we missed.

You had an opportunity for Fortrix.

You had an opportunity for Fortrix.

and you got to yeah part of the problem was we didn't see uh particularly we didn't see mobile as a different trick we thought of it as underneath the windows trick if you will no but i mean you can go through i don't know that i could come up with a three trick pony for you i mean it's possible that at the elon level the musk empire could have three tricks right cars connectivity and um

and you got to yeah part of the problem was we didn't see uh particularly we didn't see mobile as a different trick we thought of it as underneath the windows trick if you will no but i mean you can go through i don't know that i could come up with a three trick pony for you i mean it's possible that at the elon level the musk empire could have three tricks right cars connectivity and um

In finance, you can do it. Finance, I don't think there are multiple tricks. And you could say asset management versus the- Investment banking is different. Maybe, maybe. I don't know. I'm not convinced, but I hear you. Well, possibly.

In finance, you can do it. Finance, I don't think there are multiple tricks. And you could say asset management versus the- Investment banking is different. Maybe, maybe. I don't know. I'm not convinced, but I hear you. Well, possibly.

Yeah, they have a remarkably diversified- They bought businesses in multiple areas.

Yeah, they have a remarkably diversified- They bought businesses in multiple areas.

But I can't call Sony Pictures a trick. Fair. A, it's just not big enough. You can acquire to start a trick. I mean, that part I have no- You know, there's no pride. There should be no pride in having a trick that starts with something small. Android's a great example. Google bought Android, but that's a trick for them. Well, Android's not a trick. Okay.

But I can't call Sony Pictures a trick. Fair. A, it's just not big enough. You can acquire to start a trick. I mean, that part I have no- You know, there's no pride. There should be no pride in having a trick that starts with something small. Android's a great example. Google bought Android, but that's a trick for them. Well, Android's not a trick. Okay.

Android is a piece of the search trick.