"If you could ask Bill Gates one question, what would you ask? I spent an hour today with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the company's Redmond campus. I chose to ask Bill about Microsoft's intellectual property stance against Linux and its open source developers, from the SCO Group's litigation against IBM to Steve Ballmer's recent claim Linux infringes on Microsoft patents after signing a patent indemnity with Novell."
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Member since:2006-11-24
You mean to tell me that a company can appropriate $50M to (allegedly) fund an investment group and the CEO isn't informed? Sorry Bill, that's a lie through and through.
Umm, when you're talking about a guy (and his company) who is worth multi-billions, I would say that YES, he could've missed that $50M memo by a long shot from under a lower tier of management.
Member since:2006-04-21
Umm, when you're talking about a guy (and his company) who is worth multi-billions, I would say that YES, he could've missed that $50M memo by a long shot from under a lower tier of management.
Not when you're talking about MS, which bets the farm on every tiny crumb of code in its jihad against competitors.
Member since:2006-10-10
Actually, you're a bit off. Let me put it this way. We're not talking about ordering $50M of office supplies here, or paying for the corporate christmas party.
This is about intentionally funding an outside company to fight a by-proxy legal battle. Funding that, very possibly, could be construed as illegal by breaking all sorts of rules regulations regarding corporate governance. You bet that, if the memo existed, it was handed to and voted upon by Bill Gates and the board of directors.
Member since:2006-11-25
If they want plausible deniability my guess is BG's involvement was nothing more than a vp saying we are developing ways of interfering with Linux and it's users. Bill probably replied, "Good."
Some time passes and BG's lips twist into an ironic smirk as he hears on the radio about a little company called SCO, formerly Caldera (MS-DOS), is suing IBM for billions all because of Linux.
If any investigation is done, Bill's honest response can be there were people working on competitive stratigies leveraged against IBM, but he had no idea of MS's involvement in SCO. He works on moving the company products forward and doesn't involve himself in the 'dirty' work.
Member since:2006-02-08
3) Gates has evidently been living under a rock not knowing that SCO is still around these past, how many years? Software companies may be many, but the CEO community is rather tight.
Seems like he made a conscious effort to reference the *old* SCO, giving names of people who *used* to work there, and then he can say "boy I haven't thought of them for years".
Member since:
2006-10-10
1) Why no to the audio of the interview, Microsoft?
2) You mean to tell me that a company can appropriate $50M to (allegedly) fund an investment group and the CEO isn't informed? Sorry Bill, that's a lie through and through.
3) Gates has evidently been living under a rock not knowing that SCO is still around these past, how many years? Software companies may be many, but the CEO community is rather tight.
This guy is all hogwash and horse-s**t, just like their products.