Don’t look now but Microsoft is hot again and with one or 2 more moves could be back at the tippy TOP!
Gary Who
Gary Vaynerchuk has captured national attention as a businessman and Internet celebrity. Gary’s fame can be attributed to his pioneering, multi-faceted approach to personal branding and business building. more
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October 26th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
I totally agree with you that they need new blood and change to get back to the top. Kinda like how I recently had to stop taking on new projects (except for developing the interface for garyvaynerchuk.com, of course) in order to zero out and start fresh, I think microsoft could benefit from taking a step back and trying, i mean REALLY trying, to do something to build back up from all of the failed executions.
I don’t think Microsoft is out of good ideas. I think they’re boxed in by the model that you described and therefore, their executions fall flat each and every time.
A resurgence isn’t impossible, and it’s almost predictable. Everything travels in waves. Is this Facebook thing good for Microsoft or bad for Facebook? Both? Neither? I think there’s some serious trust that needs to be built back up before any major power plays take place.
October 26th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Microsoft is a very healthy business, but they do need to change their model. There are some great teams at Microsoft outside of the Windows and Office suite teams. e.g. teh Live Photo stuff is absolutely phenomenal. But their upper management is clueless. Darling wise, I don’t think they’ll ever be the darling. They will always be the big bad machine. The perception with most people I know is that Microsoft tried to buy cool and made themselves look foolish (seriously, 500 times earnings? that’s just not smart business).
And “Stevie B” should stop trying to be a motivational speaker. He ends up looking like a rabid dog.
But yes, theoretically, if they could repair their rectal cranial inversion at the top levels and really push these cutting edge teams to release good products and not drive schedules by marketing, then I think they could do some great stuff.
October 26th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Good to see you back, Gary!
October 26th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
John and Alex this is exactly why I started GV.com Great stuff and I agree with much you both said! I honestly think they are 1 move away from being very dangerous and cool again!
October 26th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
They were never not hot!
As one of the biggest companies on the planet, they have diversified themselves to allow multiple divisions to move the needle at any given time.
Not a fanboi, but they have hardware, software, entertainment, advertising, devices (and more).
October 26th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Understood Mikey Hill, I guess their “Street cred” was very weak and it still very much is, if anything the FB thing made it worst. I just think a move or 2 and a shower and a change at the tippy top and peeps will be saying” DAMNNNNNNNNNN”;)
October 26th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Gary, I agree with you on some of your points. Microsoft does seem to be hot again with the halo 3 sales. However, they have split bungie (the group responsible for halo 3) off as a separate company now and even though they own a stake, it won’t be as profitable for them
Another thing, VISTA SUCKS, it looks pretty and has some sweet functionality but it is bug ridden and needs to be fixed. With apple releasing a stunning os x leopard today Microsoft has a lot to overcome.
I think they need to change their business model as well as open up to the web 2.0 open source crowd. If they can genuinely gain the admiration and trust of that crow they could be huge again. Until they get the likes of Kevin Rose on their side, the majority of their future customers will become apple customers.
October 26th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
No offense GV- I believe on this one you are a year or so behind the curve- Microsoft has been hot(forget stockprice) since it declared its special dividend a while back- Apple is trendy but it is the Microsoft users who actually pay for the Apple stuff they buy their kids-
Apple products only need to devolop things for Apple products while Microsoft needs to make sure their products work on thousands and thousands of different PC makers machines and INFINATE number of machine setups with components-
Lets not forget the 150 Million that Microsoft used to buy Apple stock in 1987 to fund Mr. Jobs thoughts for turning Apple around- Microsoft also during that time agreed to develop its programs for the MAC platform(Apples new OS’s were RIP OFF OF DASHBOARD IF anyone remembers that)Microsoft then sold its shares back to Apple once they were financially stable.
Disney did not make subtle changes they made changes that would be equivalant to Wine Library only selling beer & Hooka Pipes-
Yahoo would be an interesting buy(I own the stock and am thrilled with it)
October 26th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
IT WAS 1997 not 1987 I just cant get out of the damn 80″s
October 26th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
You sound a little stuffy Gary. hot tea - earl gray w/lemon will clear that up.
Here’s the thing - Microsoft doesn’t have to do anything to get noticed. The word and logo for Microsoft are the most recognized and trusted (..and yes, sometimes hated)brands worldwide.
The company’s life force is really up to their new software architect, Ray Ozzie (new blood). Microsoft does try to diversify while maintaining focus. I think that’s the key to their success, IMHO.
October 26th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Ok 2minuteVaynerchuCK where the hell is the friggin wine video!
October 26th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
I hope that 2 minutes doesn’t include foreplay!
October 26th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
GV - like the site. I think I come down the middle on this. I DO think MSFT is making some good strategic moves (Facebook), but I think they are scrambling to stay with some of the newcomers, such as GOOG. I mean, come on, $250+ million for a 1.5% (or close to that) stake in Facebook? Really?? That would place the market value of that company roughly around $13 billion. Maybe that is a good mkt estimate, but I have a very hard time believing that Facebook really has that sort of value. Sure, it might be trendy, but like many trendy things, the very people that made it trendy abandon it when it becomes mainstream (see MySpace). We have to be careful of the “irrational exuberance” (or desperation) that MSFT may be displaying here.
Now, go record a WLTV episode. Its been two days!!!
October 26th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
It’s funny that you picked today (the day that Apple released OS X Leopard) to talk about Microsoft. I think history has shown that MS doesn’t have the innovative vision to take the lead in anything of consequence….they wait for companies like Apple, google, etc to show them the way…then muscle their way into the arena with their huge wallets. Not hatin’, just calling it like I see it.
October 26th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Yup, this a good comment.
October 26th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I LOVE it. Go BG. This site is a great idea, Gary. The nice thing is, the banter you’re putting out is _good_ stuff. So far!
You, sir, are becoming the modern day Max Headroom.
October 26th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Also, I think Bill Gates has unparalleled vision. I think the air of traditionalism he maintains keeps the company recognizable, and maybe focused. Maybe it’s just me- it seems when companies try to do too many things, quality seems to tank, and the brand isn’t recognizable any more. It looses class. Like Disney. :\
October 27th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Sorry, but Microsoft has been the lamest major software company for-ever. Think about Word and Excel 10-15 years ago. Now today. What advancements have they made? Yeah, I can’t think of one either, much less 20. How is it that they are still a little awkward to use, rather being perfected? Seriously, how can they programs not be perfect at this point?
But they look good compared to their OSs. Each successive OS requires a much faster computer, rather than, what would make sense, a slower computer. Just think for a second (assuming you’ve been using an MS OS over then last 10-15 or 20 years) how often your computer has crashed. How often it has needed to be rebooted. Does this not make the case for Microsoft being one of the worst tech companies in history? I mean, aggravation must count. Speed must count. Time wasted must count. I do have to say they did a great job of elminating the competition, but this was not a benefit to consumers.
As far as I’m concerned, Microsoft has had so many chances to kick some ass and can’t deliver the score. They are props, not jets.
October 27th, 2007 at 3:16 am
Ah, see, here’s Dell illustrating my point:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/solutions/en/winvista?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
Scroll down to “Why Windows Vista on Dell” and you learn that “GOOD” (512K of memory) is GREAT FOR “Booting the Operating System, without running applications or games” (Please, don’t spew laughter too much here. Well, okay, go for it.)
It’s hard to believe that Dell will sell you a computer with an OS that needs so much memory that it’s only good for booting. That’s one de-luxe boat anchor!
October 27th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Hey Supremo Vayniac - recent developments in their platforms and products are really proving they can step up to the plate. Apple has also seen a huge surge in popularity but I think this has been partly attributed to cross appeal to MS/PC users - i.e. both MS and Apple are starting to move more in line with each other.
Apple continues to deliver beautiful and aesthetically pleasing hardware AND software products but Microsoft is predominantly a software company (yes, they do the XBox, Zune etc but not to the same degree that Apple do hardware) and being compatable across all the different hardware platforms is appealling to all users at all budget levels, i.e. you have more flexibility and choice when it comes to using MS products.
I’m not a big fan of people who play on the whole Apple/MS mud slinging contest. Each have their benefits and drawbacks and the fact that everyone has different needs means that each has their place.
So in short, of course MS are hot again, Vista is finally sorting itself out, Silverlight looks exciting, the WPF is going to open doors to an amazing range of applications, the new Zune even seems like a product people would actually buy and the XBox 360 + Halo 3 have an amazing mainstream appeal to all.
October 27th, 2007 at 9:44 am
check out these hot quotes from Microsoft’s CEO!
http://thelinuxway.blogspot.com/2007/10/ten-absolutely-stupid-quotes-by-steve.html
October 30th, 2007 at 12:47 am
I’m loving the 120 second format. It keeps these vids short and to the point, brilliant!
October 30th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Interesting GV….do you own stock?
October 30th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Er, I dunno GV. Sure the game is hot, but that can’t float a battleship like M$ into cool-land. They have huge cash reserves, so will be a player for many many years to come, but they are stagnant and way too top heavy (read: stodgy) to be hip again. If you want some good inside poop on the company, read Mini: http://minimsft.blogspot.com/
Jack says in his comment: “seriously, how can their programs not be perfect at this point?!” ..Because they always choose new features over fixes, that’s why.
I worked there for many years, so I might be a bit biased
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Gary, this is fantastic. I love how it quickly turned into the age-old Apple vs. MS argument. I like your approach and the forum is welcome, thanks. As for MS, I seem to remember a lot of complaints about XP prior to SP2.
Vista has been out for almost 6 months, so my prediction. . .buy stock now, wait until Vista SP1 drops and use your dividends to buy a new computer.
Cheers
July 31st, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Hey Gary,
Been following your wine library tv for a bit and glad to see you’re on Rev3 now. Awesome.
Just to comment on this specific entry, funny how you mention Microsoft buying Yahoo back then. Almost happened.
Great insight though. Love your videos.
Keep the thunder rollin
Pete