In this, the first episode of the Exponent podcast, we talk about our background, Microsoft and disruption, and the meaning of culture. We also explore our goals for this podcast, and just a bit about Taiwanese garbage trucks.
Show Notes:
- If Steve Ballmer Ran Apple link
- The Halo Effect:…and Eight Other Business Delusions that Deceive Managers link
- Skating Towards the Goal link
- Bill Gates’ Steve Jobs Moment link
- Friction link
- Note: The Internet Explorer rendering engine is called Trident, not Triton
Comment:
- Companies get disrupted when they focus on maximizing profit and less on building the best product.
- Steve Balmer was a sucessful CEO from the standpoint of maximizing shareholder value for a ~10 year period.
- But what about in the long run: 30 or 50 or 100 years
- What is the purpose of corporations?
- Should companies milk their core business over a lifecycle and not try to maintain themselves after that.
- Would it be better for Microsoft to generate billions for shareholders and have them reinvest in a bunch of startups.