7. (Ch 2.2) Bill Gates "Gets" The Internet

Summary: Microsoft was on top of the world at the dawn of the Internet Era… but like Jack Dawson in Titanic? Microsoft would pivot, and pivot hard, once it realized that the Internet was The Next Big Thing. This episode outlines how younger Microsoft employees agitated for a greater focus on the Internet, and how Bill Gates “got” the Internet religion. Microsoft’s embrace of the Internet is truly one of the greatest acts of agility in corporate history. Windows 95 and Internet Explorer are launched, and the seeds are sewn for the great anti-trust battle to come. Bibliography: How the Web Was Won; Andrews, Paul; Broadway, 1999 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fabout%2Fcompanyinformation%2Ftimeline%2Ftimeline%2Fdocs%2Fdi_killerapp_InternetMemo.rtf&ei=ThtoUsvfDq234APWkICIDw&usg=AFQjCNHO04HZPALsUN9Rp4v1jKDYQ8eRpQ&sig2=_bymmx2MJUK8z9gzgACCTw&bvm=bv.55123115,d.dmg Overdrive: Bill Gates and the Race to Control Cyberspace; Wallace, James http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2008020017_webgatesmemo275.html http://www.businessweek.com/stories/1996-07-14/inside-microsoft http://www.zdnet.com/news/browser-wars-high-price-huge-rewards/128738 The Microsoft File : The Secret Case Against Bill Gates; Rohm, Wendy http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,985115-2,00.html http://news.cnet.com/2009-1032-995681.html Architects of the Web: 1,000 Days that Built the Future of Business; Reid, Robert See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.