Pirates of Silicon Valley is a TV movie (aired on TNT) that attempts to recreate the early history of Apple and Microsoft. In the film, Jobs is an innovative but tyrannical leader, and Bill is portrayed as a business model guru who can see where history is headed and fight to stay on top of the tide at any cost. Maybe a movie is always a movie. For the convenience of appreciation, one aspect will always be highlighted and other aspects will be downplayed. Jobs was an innovative leader, but his business philosophy: take it all, take all the benefits, was actually what caused him to fail. Under the attack of the PC system, Apple not only did not open the Mac system, but instead successively withdrew the production licenses of several Mac-compatible machines, which eventually led to the PC system leading the world today. Apple is continuing to do the same thing today, the difference is that Apple is doing just fine right now. So, the failure and success of Jobs are actually the same. Maybe there is some luck in it?
From another point of view, Bill, at least in the stand-alone era, has a very accurate judgment on the direction of historical development. It is very amazing that he proposed the goal of having a computer on everyone's desktop more than 20 years ago (don't believe your prediction). How will the Internet change in 20 years?). Grasping the correct development direction, this has already taken the first step to success, and the rest is how to grow the company through a suitable business model. On the way to growth, learn to borrow other ready-made models or technologies, which is actually what all companies do, and in fact this is the way human society moves forward - you can't always invent the wheel yourself, we always Will stand on the shoulders of seniors and even peers. What Bill did was he learned what was most critical to Microsoft's development and used it for himself. The difference is that Microsoft succeeded in the end, so these learnings are remembered.
A company that can open up a new business model is a successful company. Before the DOS and Windows systems, computers of various systems and operating systems were so diverse that it was impossible for people to adapt, and programmers could only develop programs for one of them. Microsoft's strength in the field of operating systems has finally unified the standards of desktop operating systems, so that all software companies can develop software for one platform without worrying about compatibility issues or multiple-choice questions. Microsoft finally established an ecosystem, Windows is the foundation and infrastructure construction, and various third-party applications are flourishing on it. The establishment of this business model, I think, is where Microsoft is most successful, and where Bill surpasses Jobs the most.
Today, less and less media attention or coverage of Microsoft, on the contrary, Internet companies such as Google and Facebook get the most attention. This was not the case 10 years ago, or even five years ago. At that time, the most concerned company in the IT media was Microsoft. What new actions did Microsoft have, and what fields did Microsoft enter... There used to be a saying that as long as Microsoft wanted to do something, other companies in this field would have nothing to do with it. Have a good day. The fact is similar. Over the years, we have witnessed the browser wars and game console wars, and Microsoft has basically won them smoothly. But entering the Internet era, Microsoft is obviously not smooth. What we're hearing now is what Google wants to get into, and companies in this area are going to have a hard time. When Google went public, it was pinned on David who challenged Microsoft's hegemony. Now, Google has replaced Microsoft as the new hegemon. History is always repeating, like nVidia to 3Dfx, QQ to ICQ (this example may not be appropriate).
Everyone should do what he/she thinks is right. As for whether this is true or not, it may not be obvious at that time, but looking back in the future, maybe everything will be clear. As for whether this process is full of light, ingenuity, and strategy, these can only be left to comment later. If you worry too much about these now, the inevitable result will be shrinking and shrinking as you move forward.
Bill said after the film aired that it didn't really recreate what happened in the 1980s. Maybe everyone remembers this development differently. But who cares? We only remember the winners. We all have a natural desire to be jealous, suspicious and even slander of successful people. Bill was successful in the stand-alone era, and he's now entering new territory.
Bill is a PIRATE.
http://openguet.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!C7612630AF92C155!352.entry
View more about Pirates of Silicon Valley reviews
