Steve Ballmer

Windows Live Search, right? Everything was Windows Live. OneDrive was now OneDrive. You're not going to beat Google with Windows Live. But the file sharing. I mean, look, Google's done the same thing. And you've got to ask, where do you run out of gas?

Windows Live Search, right? Everything was Windows Live. OneDrive was now OneDrive. You're not going to beat Google with Windows Live. But the file sharing. I mean, look, Google's done the same thing. And you've got to ask, where do you run out of gas?

88, yeah. And we jumped in in 2003, I think we pushed. Now, you'd say five years is a lot, or you could say five years isn't that much. You could say we had no birthright. I mean, it's just a completely separate thing. We had no capability. We had nobody who'd grown up in that world. And we had some guys in Microsoft Research who could sort of start getting us there.

88, yeah. And we jumped in in 2003, I think we pushed. Now, you'd say five years is a lot, or you could say five years isn't that much. You could say we had no birthright. I mean, it's just a completely separate thing. We had no capability. We had nobody who'd grown up in that world. And we had some guys in Microsoft Research who could sort of start getting us there.

We took talent that was doing other things in Microsoft. It's hard to go get new talent because search is brand new. There were people from Inc. to me. Google had sort of sucked them up. So it took us a while to get off the ground. It took us a while even, to be fair.

We took talent that was doing other things in Microsoft. It's hard to go get new talent because search is brand new. There were people from Inc. to me. Google had sort of sucked them up. So it took us a while to get off the ground. It took us a while even, to be fair.

I think this is something both Bill and I debated, not just with each other, but just we kicked around too much how much, quote, the verticals in online services would be important versus search and portal is generic. So search and portal is generic. But remember, we had a thing called Expedia. We built a travel site. We built a local information site called Sidewalk. We had a car shopping site.

I think this is something both Bill and I debated, not just with each other, but just we kicked around too much how much, quote, the verticals in online services would be important versus search and portal is generic. So search and portal is generic. But remember, we had a thing called Expedia. We built a travel site. We built a local information site called Sidewalk. We had a car shopping site.

What did we call that thing? Carpoint. How much would the verticals be worth? And there was one vertical that mattered, except it wasn't really vertical. It's called all shopping. There was all information and all shopping. And you got Google and Amazon. And doing all these detailed, specific things. Remember, we did a portal. We did that. And then eventually, then we did search a few years later.

What did we call that thing? Carpoint. How much would the verticals be worth? And there was one vertical that mattered, except it wasn't really vertical. It's called all shopping. There was all information and all shopping. And you got Google and Amazon. And doing all these detailed, specific things. Remember, we did a portal. We did that. And then eventually, then we did search a few years later.

We were just off. We had the wrong thing stack ranked in the wrong way, my opinion, with 20-20 hindsight. And we were spread too thin. So he said, when should you get into a new thing? Well, you probably shouldn't get into five new things if you really only have the talent for one, two new things. That's number one. Scott McNeely, his son, used to have this expression.

We were just off. We had the wrong thing stack ranked in the wrong way, my opinion, with 20-20 hindsight. And we were spread too thin. So he said, when should you get into a new thing? Well, you probably shouldn't get into five new things if you really only have the talent for one, two new things. That's number one. Scott McNeely, his son, used to have this expression.

He goes, we got to get all our wood behind one arrow. You know, it's nice to try, I mean, I was listening to you guys talk about Amazon and how they, okay, we're going to try small things, but they also put in small cost structure. We put in big cost structure because we were already all in when we got into something. And so in this particular case, a few years later, and then what do you do?

He goes, we got to get all our wood behind one arrow. You know, it's nice to try, I mean, I was listening to you guys talk about Amazon and how they, okay, we're going to try small things, but they also put in small cost structure. We put in big cost structure because we were already all in when we got into something. And so in this particular case, a few years later, and then what do you do?

You get stuck. We have permission to come from behind in a certain way here because we've got windows. That's your point. Exactly your point. So there are lessons to be learned, but for a company that's got an established business, being able to get all the way outside of yourself and say, is this really like what we're doing? Because you really want it to be. You really want it to be.

You get stuck. We have permission to come from behind in a certain way here because we've got windows. That's your point. Exactly your point. So there are lessons to be learned, but for a company that's got an established business, being able to get all the way outside of yourself and say, is this really like what we're doing? Because you really want it to be. You really want it to be.

Or does this really require a different approach that doesn't totally ignore, but doesn't take into account what you own any more than the person starting it afresh? Can you hire new capability or how do you build new capabilities? If it's not like what you're already doing, it must require new capability. If it's exactly like what you're doing, Then you'd be doing it.

Or does this really require a different approach that doesn't totally ignore, but doesn't take into account what you own any more than the person starting it afresh? Can you hire new capability or how do you build new capabilities? If it's not like what you're already doing, it must require new capability. If it's exactly like what you're doing, Then you'd be doing it.

And you should be great at it. And you'd be great at it. So it's the things, you know, just look, two models worked in phone. Build the hardware, capture the profit, have a backend monetization system that even lets you pay the phone manufacturer. That worked, Android slash Google. So two things worked. That's it. And we weren't in either one. We needed new capability. We needed a new idea.

And you should be great at it. And you'd be great at it. So it's the things, you know, just look, two models worked in phone. Build the hardware, capture the profit, have a backend monetization system that even lets you pay the phone manufacturer. That worked, Android slash Google. So two things worked. That's it. And we weren't in either one. We needed new capability. We needed a new idea.