Steve Ballmer

And everything was nicely integrated. Because remember, you needed Active Directory to manage email. you know, file shares to manage printers. I mean, it was used for a lot of different things. So it really did all kind of come together as part of the integrated proposition, like you say.

And everything was nicely integrated. Because remember, you needed Active Directory to manage email. you know, file shares to manage printers. I mean, it was used for a lot of different things. So it really did all kind of come together as part of the integrated proposition, like you say.

You guys sort of made fun of the notion that we called all that stuff the back office, as if that was diminutive.

You guys sort of made fun of the notion that we called all that stuff the back office, as if that was diminutive.

We took that as a signal that Bill just didn't care about this stuff. Oh, completely not right. I wanted to call it the back office because you needed to buy the office in the back office. And the user, the consumer, saw the office and the back office was the things that were in kind of the server rooms slash data centers, but a lot of them were server rooms.

We took that as a signal that Bill just didn't care about this stuff. Oh, completely not right. I wanted to call it the back office because you needed to buy the office in the back office. And the user, the consumer, saw the office and the back office was the things that were in kind of the server rooms slash data centers, but a lot of them were server rooms.

It's the same thing these days, but cloudized.

It's the same thing these days, but cloudized.

Well, remember, by this time... We're not through our IBM competition. And we got Linux competition now on the docket because Linux is competing with Windows Server. Linux is competing with Windows. And there's a thing called OpenOffice. Open source software for Office is competing with Office. So we have all these things going on. We haven't beat Lotus Notes yet.

Well, remember, by this time... We're not through our IBM competition. And we got Linux competition now on the docket because Linux is competing with Windows Server. Linux is competing with Windows. And there's a thing called OpenOffice. Open source software for Office is competing with Office. So we have all these things going on. We haven't beat Lotus Notes yet.

And you've got antitrust going on.

And you've got antitrust going on.

Correct. But I mean, it's clear in all these competitions, the thing you need is third parties that reinforce what you've got, add value around what you've got. And I could say run on your platform, but I'll come to that later if you want to, what a platform is and isn't, if you want to do that. It's kind of interesting, I think. Yeah, let's do it.

Correct. But I mean, it's clear in all these competitions, the thing you need is third parties that reinforce what you've got, add value around what you've got. And I could say run on your platform, but I'll come to that later if you want to, what a platform is and isn't, if you want to do that. It's kind of interesting, I think. Yeah, let's do it.

Particularly since everything's called a platform these days. But anyway, so- Let's take an aside here. Give us your definition of a platform. You could call it anything that is extensible. And it's the extensibility... That quote makes it a platform because you're going to get people to extend the value you add.

Particularly since everything's called a platform these days. But anyway, so- Let's take an aside here. Give us your definition of a platform. You could call it anything that is extensible. And it's the extensibility... That quote makes it a platform because you're going to get people to extend the value you add.

The question is, and the reason that's important is, applications are platforms too, not just developer platforms. When people say that, they might mean Azure, AWS, or in the old days, Windows or Windows Server or Unix, then Linux. Yes, those are platforms. You extend them. But you also extend Office. You add value. Partners plug in. They write applications. They use the file formats.

The question is, and the reason that's important is, applications are platforms too, not just developer platforms. When people say that, they might mean Azure, AWS, or in the old days, Windows or Windows Server or Unix, then Linux. Yes, those are platforms. You extend them. But you also extend Office. You add value. Partners plug in. They write applications. They use the file formats.

All of this stuff is platform. And part of the issue, I think, for Microsoft is if you see yourself as just a platform company, A, platforms need apps. You want to have the top first party app that runs on your platform. Otherwise your platform can't get good. Office was the best first party app on Windows and that's how things get good. Outlook was the best first party app on exchange.

All of this stuff is platform. And part of the issue, I think, for Microsoft is if you see yourself as just a platform company, A, platforms need apps. You want to have the top first party app that runs on your platform. Otherwise your platform can't get good. Office was the best first party app on Windows and that's how things get good. Outlook was the best first party app on exchange.