No, I’m not going to say Vista. I see Vista as an organizational failure. Ballmer gets his share of the blame, but there’s plenty of blame to go around. Now, Microhoo, the failed attempt to buy out Yahoo — that heaping pile lands directly on Ballmer’s doorstep.
Let me walk you through it. First, as we all know, Microsoft has been obsessed by Google. Ballmer is convinced that Google is The Enemy.
I’ve never quite understood this. Yes, in general terms, Google is the one technology company that Microsoft hasn’t been able to beat into the ground. So what? Microsoft makes its billions from selling software. Google makes it mint from online advertising and the search engine that powers it.
Certainly, as the years have rolled by, Microsoft has tried to storm into Google’s search stronghold. They’ve failed. It won’t be the first or last time that Microsoft moved out of its comfort zone and into the twilight zone.