Steve Ballmer
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
That's right. That was like a bet the company move where Microsoft was like, hey, Compaq, go make 386 stuff because we're going to make a really great 386 software. And we need someone to be all in on that because IBM's not.
That's right. That was like a bet the company move where Microsoft was like, hey, Compaq, go make 386 stuff because we're going to make a really great 386 software. And we need someone to be all in on that because IBM's not.
They're basically trying to co-opt the PC movement back into IBM proprietary land.
They're basically trying to co-opt the PC movement back into IBM proprietary land.
I mean, DOS and the applications were both great businesses by 87.
I mean, DOS and the applications were both great businesses by 87.
Yeah, so we have to thank Brad Silverberg for helping us with this section. Brad led the Windows 3.1 team. He came in right after the 3.0 release and would eventually go on to lead the Windows 95 effort as the VP of the Personal Systems Division. So Brad comes in, Windows 3.0 has just shipped.
Yeah, so we have to thank Brad Silverberg for helping us with this section. Brad led the Windows 3.1 team. He came in right after the 3.0 release and would eventually go on to lead the Windows 95 effort as the VP of the Personal Systems Division. So Brad comes in, Windows 3.0 has just shipped.
And the first thing that is super, super obvious is as Brad sort of observed everything going on with OS2 land and everything going on with the core Microsoft culture, it was a complete clash. It was impossible for the pace of Microsoft. This is like a super young group. I mean, all in their 20s, some people in their 30s, but mostly 20s who just want to push the cutting edge ship stuff.
And the first thing that is super, super obvious is as Brad sort of observed everything going on with OS2 land and everything going on with the core Microsoft culture, it was a complete clash. It was impossible for the pace of Microsoft. This is like a super young group. I mean, all in their 20s, some people in their 30s, but mostly 20s who just want to push the cutting edge ship stuff.
It was almost like think about Google in the early 2000s. Just hire all the smartest people you can and set them loose and have creativity and everything. bump up against the edge of what's possible, both in terms of pushing the hardware, but also pushing, I mean, even like laws as we would later see, let's just do what users love and see what happens.
It was almost like think about Google in the early 2000s. Just hire all the smartest people you can and set them loose and have creativity and everything. bump up against the edge of what's possible, both in terms of pushing the hardware, but also pushing, I mean, even like laws as we would later see, let's just do what users love and see what happens.
Let's just do what technology enables us to do and see what happens. That's like the opposite of IBM's culture at this point. So there's this huge cultural rift between what IBM sort of needs and who Microsoft is at this point. And so what ended up happening with 3.0, it was unexpectedly loved. Microsoft was not really prepared for how much people were going to love the GUI.
Let's just do what technology enables us to do and see what happens. That's like the opposite of IBM's culture at this point. So there's this huge cultural rift between what IBM sort of needs and who Microsoft is at this point. And so what ended up happening with 3.0, it was unexpectedly loved. Microsoft was not really prepared for how much people were going to love the GUI.
And with 3.1, it got really good. There was a small offsite of the executives, and Bill and Steve basically decided that it was time to bet on Windows. That was the new strategy. Windows had always been plan B, and now suddenly it was plan A. And when I say plan B, I don't mean like... thought they had a prayer of being plan A. I mean, it was 65 people that shipped Windows 3.1.