The launch of Microsoft Vista represents, not the start of something, but its end.
It’s bloatware, designed more for the corporate boardroom than for the individual. It does not empower, it controls. In an interview with Meredith Viera on Today, for instance, this was the heart of her concern, controlling what her kids do and securing her system against outside threats. It was the only question Gates could answer.
Sadder still, for me, was watching Bill Gates. He looks old. Yet he’s five months younger than I am, and at least a year younger than Viera. But you look at his face and he looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders, and when you find yourself tasked with the socially-correct spending of $60 billion on all the world’s problems that can happen. (Or maybe it’s having three kids. What were we thinking?)
More important, however, was that he had to work today at all. While his title remains Chairman, he’s no longer either a line nor a staff officer at Microsoft. Yet he must remain the public face of the company because the actual CEO, Steve Ballmer, has become anathema to so many people.
Ballmer is in over his head. His every move since becoming CEO has been a mistake. The Novell deal. The Zune.
The man can’t open his mouth without inserting his foot. And his
strategic sense lives in a bubble, a bubble Bill Gates created and he’s
reluctant to pop.
So having Bill Gates out front for the launch of Windows Vista is a
significant moment, and not in a good way. It may be the first step in easing Ballmer out. But
who would replace him? Despite all the "high bandwidth" minds Microsoft
has accumulated over the years, not one has had any entrepreneurial
spark.
And Bill Gates’ spark is about out. Like I said, a sad day.
