Microsoft Volume II: The Complete History and Strategy of the Ballmer Years (Audio)

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

July 22, 2024

Duration

4h 51m

Channel

Acquired

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In 1999, Microsoft became the most valuable company in the world. And in 2019, Microsoft became the most valuable company in the world, *again*. But… what happened in the twenty years in between? The answer, as we discovered in our research, is probably not what you think. In this episode we explore and analyze the browser wars and the DOJ case, Windows XP through 8, Surface, Xbox, search, Yahoo!, Bing, the iPhone, Nokia, mobile, social, Facebook… and oh yeah, a little thing called Azure and the enterprise — which ended up becoming so big that no failures mattered. Tune in for Microsoft, Volume II. *Links:*

• Bill Gurley on Android’s “Less Than Free” business model: https://abovethecrowd.com/2009/10/29/google-redefines-disruption-the-less-than-free-business-model/
• All episode sources: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/microsoft-volume-ii#sources

*Carve Outs:*

• Meta Ray-Bans: https://www.meta.com/smart-glasses/shop-all/
• Ozlo Sleepbuds: https://ozlosleep.com
• M3 Macbook Air: https://www.apple.com/macbook-air/
• Model Y: https://www.tesla.com/modely

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_Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions._

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Ben Gilbert

  host

• David Rosenthal

  host

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Acquired, featuring Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, Microsoft Volume II: The Complete History and Strategy of the Ballmer Years (Audio) explores Microsoft’s Ballmer era: internet wars, antitrust shock, enterprise rise, cloud seed The episode traces Microsoft’s “middle chapter” from Windows 95 through the start of Satya Nadella’s tenure, arguing the common narrative (“Microsoft fell, then Satya saved it”) is incomplete.

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