This story may have actually originated from somebody’s satiric column, but bear with me: Consider how Bill Gates has sold a product for over 30 years. That product has become the most popular personal computer operating system on the planet, and even in the twilight of the PC era, a large part of Microsoft’s sales come from selling licenses for that product to computer makers.
Indeed, Microsoft continues to make great profits from operating systems for Windows and the Office application suite. Yet things haven’t gone so well with other products. Losses for the Bing search engine continue to mount, and sales of mobile gear have continued to flatline.
It’s not that the company isn’t trying to find solutions to the endemic problems. What’s more, there’s a new sheriff in town, one Satya Nadella, who has just taken over the CEO spot from Steve Ballmer, who remains on the board. But in a curious move, Nadella is being assisted by co-founder Bill Gates, who will work part-time as a Technical Advisor, or the CEO’s nanny, depending on your point of view.
Continue Reading…