Steve Ballmer

On the red-eye, the Delta Dash flight at around 11, get into Atlanta around 5, get the flight to West Palm Beach at about 7, get in and be able to be at a meeting at 9 o'clock at IBM, and then work all day, catch the 7 o'clock flight home, be here about 10, 30, or 11. 24 hours. Down and back. Because if you're building something together, remember, there's no real email at the time. Right.

On the red-eye, the Delta Dash flight at around 11, get into Atlanta around 5, get the flight to West Palm Beach at about 7, get in and be able to be at a meeting at 9 o'clock at IBM, and then work all day, catch the 7 o'clock flight home, be here about 10, 30, or 11. 24 hours. Down and back. Because if you're building something together, remember, there's no real email at the time. Right.

We were literally shipping disks back and forth. And then they decided they were going to do the presentation manager piece in England. So there were also then a lot of flights to England. Oh, my God. And then Texas is where the database and communication subs- This sounds so IBM. This sounds like Boeing. Yeah, we call it, it was the joint development agreement.

We were literally shipping disks back and forth. And then they decided they were going to do the presentation manager piece in England. So there were also then a lot of flights to England. Oh, my God. And then Texas is where the database and communication subs- This sounds so IBM. This sounds like Boeing. Yeah, we call it, it was the joint development agreement.

And it was the price of staying involved with IBM. And it was convoluted. And we did then keep, for speed of action, we kept going on Windows, which we had started. For listeners, everything we're talking about is OS2. OS2. This operating system that basically never comes to me. OS2 and there was OS2 Extended Edition or something, which had their edition stuff.

And it was the price of staying involved with IBM. And it was convoluted. And we did then keep, for speed of action, we kept going on Windows, which we had started. For listeners, everything we're talking about is OS2. OS2. This operating system that basically never comes to me. OS2 and there was OS2 Extended Edition or something, which had their edition stuff.

And Windows was like your plan B. It was like your side. No, Windows was our plan. And then they wanted to do this new operating system. And we convinced them, you got to have a graphical user interface. And we tried to sell them Windows, and they were resisting.

And Windows was like your plan B. It was like your side. No, Windows was our plan. And then they wanted to do this new operating system. And we convinced them, you got to have a graphical user interface. And we tried to sell them Windows, and they were resisting.

Humor. It's more than lip service. I would say... My job was managing by then system software. So I had Windows. I had Shipwind. I'd been the development manager for Windows 1.0.

Humor. It's more than lip service. I would say... My job was managing by then system software. So I had Windows. I had Shipwind. I'd been the development manager for Windows 1.0.

But that's the sales side. I actually managed the engineers. Yeah. Because the guy who was doing it wasn't being successful, and we had to ship the thing. And so that's when I learned some about engineering management from the engineers, basically, had to teach me.

But that's the sales side. I actually managed the engineers. Yeah. Because the guy who was doing it wasn't being successful, and we had to ship the thing. And so that's when I learned some about engineering management from the engineers, basically, had to teach me.

to be effective we're trying to keep with os2 bill's very frustrated with ibm i'm frustrated but i know my job is to ride the bear and so bill's pushing windows hard but we still suspected os2 could be the winner because it came from ibm but we couldn't just like stop for three or four years We couldn't make the mistake we sort of made in the thing that became Vista.

to be effective we're trying to keep with os2 bill's very frustrated with ibm i'm frustrated but i know my job is to ride the bear and so bill's pushing windows hard but we still suspected os2 could be the winner because it came from ibm but we couldn't just like stop for three or four years We couldn't make the mistake we sort of made in the thing that became Vista.

So we kept going with Windows. We kept going with OS 2. And then May 1990, they come along and shoot us. I was out running with my wife. Wait, IBM shot you? Yeah, they divorced us.

So we kept going with Windows. We kept going with OS 2. And then May 1990, they come along and shoot us. I was out running with my wife. Wait, IBM shot you? Yeah, they divorced us.

No, no, no, no, no. They had a new leader by then, a guy named Jim Canovino, and he was getting frustrated with us because we were still selling windows. We were still promoting windows. I mean, look, this was our first antitrust problem. I don't know if you guys know this, is the FTC at the time thought we and IBM were working to divide the market. Because we had done some positioning.

No, no, no, no, no. They had a new leader by then, a guy named Jim Canovino, and he was getting frustrated with us because we were still selling windows. We were still promoting windows. I mean, look, this was our first antitrust problem. I don't know if you guys know this, is the FTC at the time thought we and IBM were working to divide the market. Because we had done some positioning.

What's Windows good for? What's OS 2 good for? We and IBM had done that. And then they said, no, you guys are colluding. And that's when we first got attention from antitrust authorities.

What's Windows good for? What's OS 2 good for? We and IBM had done that. And then they said, no, you guys are colluding. And that's when we first got attention from antitrust authorities.