2001: A Space Odyssey

March 6, 2005

Microsoft is rotting, Malone says

Filed under: On Business

Michael S. Malone (Silicon Insider on ABC News): R.I.P. Microsoft?

He says he smells rot inside Microsoft.

I take this very seriously. Why? Because if you know Michael he’s good at smelling out the rot in companies (his article gives several examples).

I’m not going to disagree with him. Why? Because that would prove his thesis correct.[…]

I don’t remember where I read this but if I remember right, some parts of Microsoft, give some hours to individuals or small groups to develop things of their own; without the supervision of the company. The idea behind it is to find small ideas… too innovate… to cope with the new market that his coming from the East.
If enterprises, like Microsoft, don’t change their working environment (inside and outside), they’ll fall. Think about the Digital and HP war some decades ago…. Boston versus Silicon Valley… HP adapted his activities with the new market. They opened dialogs with smaller companies in the Valley. Digital didn’t do it. He didn’t change their relations with their new environment. Shit hit the fan and the lost billions of dollars in some months. This is a small story we need to remember to understand what can happen if we don’t innovate and try to cope with new markets.