Tuesday, 25 April 2006

Crooks'R"Us = M$FT by Scott McNealy

BW Online | November 19, 2001 | Online Extra: Q&A with Scott McNealy: "Q: But they announced their .Net service more than a year ago, and have been rolling out products ever since.
A: Tell me the last time you met anyone who has used a .Net Web service. I've never met anyone! The fact is we've been doing Web services for 20 years, when they were stuck in stand-alone PCs.... But I do grant that a monopolist with enough money can try to rewrite history.... We were outspent, but we'll always be outspent. It sounds like we were outspent in Washington, too.

Q: Do you regret any of the barbs you've hurled at Microsoft over the years?
A: I should make this off-the-record, but I do regret when I once said something regarding Gates about how 'my kid is smarter than your kid.'

Q: What about Balllmer and Butthead? Was that a mistake?
A: Oh no, I don't regret that one! That was funny.

Q: So let's say Sun executed so well that it created its own monopoly? How would you be different than Bill Gates?
A: That's the point. There's no way we could have a monopoly given the way we run our company. The minute we start doing really well, like we have in the last few years, they all come running back [to get in on the profits].... When you have open interfaces, people can always compete with you. It's a double-edged sword. It makes it easy for the customer to choose us -- and it makes it easy for the customer not to choose us.

Q: But isn't it good capitalistic behavior for Microsoft to take full advantage of its monopoly by using it to expand into other areas?
A: I suppose Microsoft is doing what it should be doing for its shareholders. It's like in hockey. If I come up and cross-check you, and the referee doesn't call anything, I'm going to come back and spear you right in the chest. And if the ref still doesn't do anything, I'm going to come back and take a 2x4 to the helmet of everyone on your team until there's nobody left. That's what's going on, and that's why the government has to enforce the laws.

Q: So under what circumstances would you do business with them?



"They don't even flirt with telling the truth anymore"



A:
Listen, I have never turned down a meeting with Gates or Ballmer.... On many occasions, I've challenged them to get on stage one-on-one and have a reasonable debate, but they've always refused. And that's because they don't even flirt with telling the truth anymore. And if I were protecting a monopoly like they are, I wouldn't do it either. Because they know the real truth.


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