Microsoft - Why They're Successful

Go to BuyRaycon.com/companyman to get 15% off your Raycon purchase! Brought to you by Raycon.
This video takes a look at the legendary Microsoft company. Taking a look back at their history and diversity while trying to explain the biggest reasons behind their success.
To submit ideas and vote on future topics:
companymanideas.com
Patreon: / companyman
Twitter: / mikecompany17
A very special thanks to this wonderful group of Patrons:
Adamant, Ahmad, Amy Westacott, Andrew Jeeves, Astra, Atsumari, Audria Richmond, aziz alfozan, Ballard Ingram, Blake Anderson, Brett Walton, Brian Dover, Brian Smith, Brooks Sparling, Chris Lion-Transler, Christian & Penny Gray, Cocacolabear12, Dandaley, Dominic Berlingeri, Dylan Kinnard, Emerald Computers - Jason Dragon, Evil Andy, John &Becki Johnston, John Briscoe, John Sterling, Jon, Ken, Kevin Sullivan, Kib Bibens-LeFebvre, Laura Floyd, Logan Brown, Meow Wolf, milkshake, Moriah Krewec, MyNameIsKir, Peter Wesselius, ReignsRevenge, Robert T Kirton, Ron G, Ronnie Cheng, Sam Bennett, Sirpoptart, Sondre Grimsmo Sinnes, Tyrone Cowan.
Company Declines:
Kmart: • The Decline of Kmart.....
Blockbuster: • The Decline of Blockbu...
RadioShack: • The Decline of RadioSh...
Solo Cups: • The Decline of Solo......
Toys "R" Us: • The Decline of Toys R ...
hhgregg: • The Decline of hhgregg...
Pan Am: • The Decline of Pan Am....
ESPN: • The Decline of ESPN......
Gibson: • The Decline of Gibson....
iHeartMedia: • The Decline of iHeartM...
Bon-Ton: • The Decline of Bon-Ton...
Kodak: • The Decline of Kodak.....
General Electric: • The Decline of General...
Woolworth: • The Decline of Woolwor...
Dell: • The Decline of Dell......
Sears: • The Decline of Sears.....
Payless: • The Decline of Payless...
Hostess: • The Decline of Hostess...
Redbox: • The Decline of Redbox....
Nokia: • The Decline of Nokia.....
JCPenney: • The Decline of JCPenne...
Quiznos: • The Decline of Quiznos...
GameStop: • The Decline of GameSto...
NASCAR: • The Decline of NASCAR....
Shopko: • The Decline of Shopko....
MoviePass: • The Decline of MoviePa...
Reebok: • The Decline of Reebok....
The Gap: • The Decline of The Gap...
Pier 1 Imports: • The Decline of Pier 1 ...
Sbarro: • The Decline of Sbarro....
AOL: • The Decline of AOL...W...
Long John Silver's: • The Decline of Long Jo...
Chuck E. Cheese's: • The Decline of Chuck E...
GNC: • The Decline of GNC...W...
Hertz: • The Decline of Hertz.....
Steak 'n Shake: • The Decline of Steak '...
CiCi's Pizza: • The Decline of CiCi's ...
Boston Market: • The Decline of Boston ...
Yahoo: • The Decline of Yahoo!....
Montgomery Ward: • The Decline of Montgom...
Fry's Electronics: • The Decline of Fry's E...
Souplantation: • The Decline of Souplan...
Gateway: • The Decline of Gateway...
BlackBerry: • The Decline of BlackBe...
Sports Authority: • The Decline of Sports ...
Atari: • The Decline of Atari.....
KB Toys: • The Decline of KB Toys...
Pizza Hut: • The Decline of Pizza H...
MGM: • The Decline of MGM...W...
______________________________
Website created by - fullertonmedia.com
Intro Made By - / @jombo1

[@scottlarson1548]

My favorite Microsoft moment was when they shipped a bug in Dialup Networking that prevented our computers from connecting to the Internet but quickly posted a fix for it on their web site. My company asked Microsoft if we could legally download the fix with another computer and distribute it to the rest of the computers in our company. They said absolutely not -- every system running Windows *must* download the fix directly from their web site even though this wasn't possible. I'd tell you what we did but I don't want to go to jail.

[@pseudonymity0000]

Windows licencing...

[@jonathansturm4163]

@@pseudonymity0000 Windows licensing is a doddle compared to Oracle...

[@armanke13]

Oh my that's a vile of them

[@scottlarson1548]

@@kreuner11 Thanks for the free legal advice, random person on the Internet.

[@scottlarson1548]

@@kreuner11 Our company _was_ sued by Microsoft for an unrelated matter. We settled out of court.

[@DallasMay]

I'm old enough to remember the old IE v. Netscape days. A lot of people think they got off easy, but the result set up the opportunity for Apple to create iTune/iPod for Windows, Google to become the dominant search company, and Mozilla Firefox to grow. If it wasn't for that court case in the 90's, if MS had won, they would have locked Apple's iTunes out of Windows, used IE to make any competing website like Google or Amazon unusable, and smothered Firefox. Basically, the entire internet would have just become an extension of Windows. Ironically, a decade+ later, Apple (and to a slightly lesser extent Google) are doing EXACTLY the same thing with their iOS and Android operating systems that MS was prohibited from doing with Windows.

[@DallasMay]

@@GoogleDoesEvil It's probably more that a duopoly is a little bit easier for regulators to swallow than a monopoly.

[@frankjoyce76]

agreed. this video reminds me how old i am. I remember the Time magazines praising him for being a rival with IBM. I remember him standing behind Steve Jobs when they joined together to bring back Apple. My how the company has grown

[@timewave02012]

Microsoft lost by being overconfident in the power of their monopolies and letting their products languish. They had the PC market locked down and some segments of the server market. 20 years ago that seemed like a formidable position. For a variety of reasons, that former advantage isn't worth much these days.

[@TonyPombo]

The political climate in 1990s was way different. We had a pro-consumer, anti-monopoly federal government. The current federal government doesn't have the desire, or guts, to go after tech companies that are clearly abusing their power. Amazon, Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc. are all doing worse than MS ever did. Oh, did I mention Amazon?

[@DallasMay]

@@TonyPombo This is true and really ironic because hating tech monopolies is one of the few truly bipartisan things we've got going for us right now.

[@JohnDoe-yh8rr]

I'm so glad to see you pass million subs and get sponsors and stuff. get that juicy money

[@over7532]

He's been getting sponsors for a long time hasn't he?

[@JohnDoe-yh8rr]

@@over7532 last time I checked he was under 100k subs and extremely underrated. Just happy to see how things turned out for him

[@over7532]

@@JohnDoe-yh8rr nice, yeah it's a hell of a channel

[@CoasterMan13Official]

MONEY 💵💵💵💵💰💰💰💳

[@jujhar.]

He'll yeah

[@JohnLandTaylor]

Good video. The entire story between Gates & Jobs is great. How Jobs was "influenced" by Xerox that created the first Apple OS, then Gates turned it into MS Windows. The license agreement MS struck with IBM. "Pirates of Silicon Valley" came out in 99. It's a great movie about the industry up until then.

[@Agownsrs2]

I'd love to see another adaptation of Pirates of Silicon Valley. So many things have happened since 1999 that it would be interesting to cover in a contemporary narrative. Would love to see that!

[@JohnLandTaylor]

@@Agownsrs2 and so many new players! With probably more interesting stories than MS. Google comes to mind. Someone should hit up the person who wrote the first flick. Outstanding idea m8. Might have to be a mini-series though....hahaa.

[@LanceMan]

"Steve you are just mad I got the f-ing treasure first." Gates to Jobs at the end of the movie.

[@iwanttocomplain]

That movie is so good. It points out the most crucial moment in MS history is the deal Gates struck with IBM to retain rights over MS-DOS making it available on other systems and taking a profit only from sales of the OS. Also is was the Xerox gui for the ‘Xerox Star’ Machine that Jobs and Gates copies as Xerox failed to recognise the significance of the software. Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) also greatly improved the mouse. It has to be said, the PoSV film is way better than the more recent ‘Jobs’ film. I couldn’t even be bothered to finish watching it, it was so boring.

[@JohnLandTaylor]

@@iwanttocomplain Anything done about Jobs, post Jobs will be sort of hero worship. In reality, he was sort of a dick. Not sort of....

[@yobagme]

The story of CP/M is really tragic, specifically for its creator Gary Kildall (he was also the co-host of the legendary Computer Chronicles TV show). CP/M was supposedly the superior OS vs MSDOS, but Gary and IBM couldn't come to an agreement on cost. Evidently the bad IBM deal took a toll on Gary pretty bad, became a depressed alcoholic, and eventually was killed in a bar fight. The guy was a real genius and its a shame what happened to him. Can only imagine what PCs would be today had IBM went with CP/M exclusively.

[@TheCrazierz]

Alcoholic pcs?

[@MickeyMousePark]

One of the reasons that Gary did not reach an agreement is that Gary did not like large corporations even though DR was large IBM was huge...

[@jensenraylight8011]

if Gary Kidall come to agreement, i think his OS will be just forgotten in just 2 years after release like cp/m, DOS will become a waste on his hand and CP/M will stale the entire computing industry he is no bill gates, even though he had the intelligent to create his own OS, he lack intuition when it comes to business, he won't fight tooth and nail like Bill Gates does, he won't be able to pull a brilliant strategy or Dominate an entire market like Bill Gates does Bill Gates not only a Genius, he is a brilliant business war Commander as well

[@envyeleven9471]

Kildall was the wrong kind of brilliance needed at the time. Gates was a kid and would take any deal, Kildall knew what he had on his hands and it sounds like he got a big head and wanted too much for his O/S. Why have you head so far up your own ass to insist it being sold for 3 times Microsoft's version? His demise is sad, and his contributions to computing and computer entertainment should be revered, but as a spectator reading about his life second-hand, I wouldn't have expected an outcome where his O/S would have come out on top.

[@BeautifulAngelBlossom]

LGR did amazing story on this

[@Hogtownboy1]

You forgot the two major reasons. IBM didn’t copyright the OS so we when other companies started making desk top computers. MS soldmillions of OS to IBM clone machines. Then When WordPerfect came out and it’s WP 6.0 the default for the keyboard after install was the CUA ( MS) instead of the Wp 5.0. Office workers panicked and WP 6.0 got the rep of being “ buggy”. It never recovered and MS bought it from Corel for Pennie’s just to make sure that is wasn’t available with Lotus 1-2-3 and Notes owned by IBM.

[@christopherthibeault7502]

​@@poetryflynn3712 Appabend (look up his channel) had a field day optioning Linux Distros. He refused to entertain Win11 since Indonesian economics preclude cutting-edge hardware that could run either 11 or Mac. If you can run something on a toaster, run it on a toaster. Most Linux Distros--passion projects among cultish enthusiasts, not for-profit affairs with professional bug-checkers--are necessarily furtive and barebone. This lets their crop of apps work well. Even if it's blasphemy, WINE is fine here. I intend to use a Xubuntu machine once I can get it to install, but that often requires a Lenovo or IBM-descendant to ensure compatible hardware. Microsoft is another bloated, unfocused company that fears shadows and misunderstands the necessity of competition. Their conceited miscalculation considering the "Chip Shortage" will cost them confidence in the long run whether their short-term profit margins indicate this or not.

[@mxbunnycatter]

Mickeysoft never bought wordperfect from corel tho, it just pretty much made sure Microsoft office became the de-facto standard for word processing, kind of like how Google is synonymous with searching.

[@timewave02012]

@@poetryflynn3712 I've been transferring files between Linux and Windows for years on NTFS or exFAT, to allow >4GB files. Linux and OS X have zero DOS heritage. Windows hasn't either, for 20 years, since they switched their consumer OS line to the NT codebase with XP.

[@marsgal42]

I worked for Microsoft back in the ‘90s on email systems. We used early versions of NT and watched betas of Chicago crash. I attended a couple of company meetings in Seattle. The only public space that was big enough to hold the entire company was the Kingdome. 😎

[@realevostevo]

Wow, the Kingdome ha ha ha, that's pretty interesting.

[@stepawayful]

I remember going to MS company meetings at the KINGDOME!

[@bloqk16]

@Laura Halliday . . . since you worked for MS at one time, you may find the humor in this: Upon my arrival at the Sea-Tac Airport in Spring 2005, I could not help but notice the quantity of large ORACLE banners displayed about in the airport LOL . Talk about Ellison tweaking Gates's nose!

[@stepawayful]

@@bloqk16 billg was gone by then and the CompanyKiller (Ballmer) was running things by then. Good for Larry for sticking it to Steve. I haven't been back since I left in 2004 but I've seen some documentaries about Seattle crime and homelessness and it looks like i left before it went off the trails.

[@bchristian85]

Windows 95 came out at just the right time. It was the OS that introduced most of the non-techie world to the Internet. The momentum simply continued from there.

[@robertfrost8264]

It literally changed the world and the future. If middle class households didn't have the internet and a home PC they did after Win95 launched! We were on dial-up with a PC running Windows 3.1 so my house was ahead of the curve and even then 95 and 98 were still game changers.

[@y4nz193]

Microsoft is a whole empire, while the competition are just minor kingdoms

[@_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_]

It’s largest competitors are google, Apple and Amazon. They’re all empires

[@baraodascolinas979]

@@_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ the GAFAM are the world powers on the internet.

[@_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_]

@@baraodascolinas979 it’s GAMAM or maybe GAMMA now since Facebook is now mEtA

[@msthalamus2172]

The cost cutting measures in 2003 were insane. They stopped stocking ink pens, switched to a cheaper toilet paper, you name it. I doubt Ballmer had to deal with any of these cuts himself of course. I learned the phrase SRDH working there, believe me.

[@DownwithEA1]

My grandparents invested in Microsoft. My parents invested in Microsoft. Now I'm investing in them. They're pretty damn solid haha.

[@anustubhmishra]

you must be pretty rich by now

[@DownwithEA1]

@@anustubhmishra Just recently was financially able to start investing so sadly no haha. It is a very good long term position though.

[@_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_]

You may not have gotten rich from them yet, but what about your grandparents and parents?

[@arkangelarkangel1302]

Can't wait to see your yacht.

[@otakubullfrog1665]

I still remember how much fun I had playing with QBASIC when I got my first PC. The way it even had its own DOS command basically told you that you weren't just supposed to run software with their operation system, but to develop your own. This was smart because an OS is only as good as the software it runs, so having more developers increases its value. More modern desktop and mobile operating systems should really include pre-installed, easy-to-use development tools to encourage their users to create for their ecosystem instead of just use it.

[@ravitejaknts]

Now the development part became more harder. Downloading an app isn't a big deal comparatively. At this day and age, we need quality apps, not apps that are made for fun by common people.

[@typicaledc]

I loved QBASIC!!! I took a computer programming course in high school and that was what they required us to use for the first semester, even though it was already antiquated but it taught us the basics of writing code before we moved onto more intelligent programs. It will always have a special place in my heart as it's what got me interested and excited about programming.

[@SheldonAdama17]

I have a lot of nostalgia for Windows XP… that was an excellent OS at the time

[@CrazyAlienLady051]

Anybody remember Clippy? Clippy quickly becoming Nostalgia fuel for the late 90s early 2000’s crowd on Twitter.

[@Brandon-bc5um]

Ahh, the last good thing Microsoft did. I miss those days

[@joshmciver4847]

Windows stopped being great out of the box with Windows 7... in my opinion. after that it started getting overly invasive where you practically need to hack your OS in order for it to not bog down your system or be incredibly annoying.

[@CrazyAlienLady051]

@@Brandon-bc5um yeah ngl, I have Windows 11 but it feels so empty. I miss Windows XP and 7 so much and I’m sort of upset Microsoft discontinued them.

[@riaz8783]

XP was a fantastic OS for the time. I'd say they got leapfrogged by Apple though as Mac OS X Tiger was better than both XP and Vista. They've done well to recover since Vista though and Windows 10/11 are solid.

[@allenwiddows7631]

Back in the ‘90s, it did seem as if Microsoft was acting as a monopoly, since a lot of their software, as well as Windows, seemed to be bloated and slow, much lower quality than that from their competitors. And their solution seemed to be to buy out the competition and maintain the status quo. Thus an old meme that made the rounds-“We are Microsoft. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.” I am glad, at least with software, they have moved away from that.

[@davidnotonstinnett]

Eh, they are still Microsoft at heart. They couldn’t make windows more popular with developers, so they just put Linux inside Windows. It’s Internet explorer vs Netscape all over again.

[@garricksl]

@@davidnotonstinnett Majority of revenue are from Linux services.

[@harrisonofcolorado8886]

Given that Microsoft is buying another company(Activision), it seems like that whole,"We are Microsoft. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated" statement is probably still true today.

[@Thelango99]

Embrace Extend Extinguish.

[@garricksl]

@@Thelango99 let eliminate Linux.

[@Gungho73]

The primary thing I think that makes Microsoft successful to me, vs a Google, in a lot of the same tech spaces is the willingness to dig deep in order to exist in a space even if they arent winning it it. Take Google Stadia for example. Consumers were taught by prior Google products to not trust it even if they liked the idea of the product because their history of dropping out if the product didnt immediately meet expectations, and other consumers were pushed away by the product itself. Thus the overall target demographic has essentially waited for Stadia to die as a potential platform. Microsoft by direct comparison has been willing to dig deeper into that same industry. Even when the going got tough and could've sank the Xbox division, such as with the red ring of death on their 360 platform, or having to re-engineer their Xbox One platform internally months prior to release, they've stayed the course and even tried consolidating it with their overall PC platform strategy. Xbox is a name that they feel is valuable and they dont want it to go away, even when the finances havent proven the case, and its helped their market share/mind share strategy in the industry. It's very impressive as an outsider.

[@kaydog890]

Here's a tip to improve your writing: If you can't say a sentence in one breath, then it's too long.

[@maiqtheliar789]

Here's a tip to improve yourself as a human being: Don't be an asshole. Your comment literally added nothing to the conversation.

[@iwanttocomplain]

Stadia can’t just get dropped because there would be a class action law suit to recoup everyone’s game’s they bought. I think Stadia is a good product though and MS and Sony want to do the exact same thing. For the record, including a double return between paragraphs does improve readability.

[@Gungho73]

@@maiqtheliar789 Thank you.

[@Gungho73]

​@@iwanttocomplain So the hilarious part is on the paragraph thing, I used to do that and people would be upset because they'd have to click read more or (unjokingly) cross their eyes and say how it was weird I didn't finish my post because they didn't see "read more." Company Man tends to get my bigger posts here now; I really enjoy the discussions people have here across the country and over the world which inspires that. I believe each one absolutely want to do that. It tends to be easier to stream both building the games for different platforms and isnt nearly as resource intensive. Its a bad thing for gamers, good thing for manufacturers/developers. Especially due to latency issues. Stadia cannot immediately drop especially because in that industry the distrust it breeds amongst gaming consumers is a black mark, but they sure as heck seem intent on sun-setting it.

[@Podsedneck]

Really glad you touched on their early strides, more immoral ones, that facilitated the huge growth later on. The incremental monopolization of PCs as well as some of their shadier dealings to crush Netscape, were some of the best lessons I got in Economics. Just how ruthless they were early on is often overshadowed at this point. I've said it a dozen times at this point, you're the greatest, Company Man.

[@jamesslick4790]

I have always been told that "BASIC" was/is an unimportant computer language. Well, "BASIC" was the foundation of Microsoft, So it WAS a little important. 🤷‍♂️

[@DavidRomigJr]

Commodore’s CBM BASIC is a modified version of Microsoft 6502 BASIC they bought (not leased) from Microsoft. It is not said who wrote it, but there were only 3 employees at the time and only Bill Gates knew 6502 among the 3 of them, so it’s safe to say Gates wrote it.

[@jamesslick4790]

@@DavidRomigJr Yep, A LOT of "BASICS" that were not labeled as "Microsoft" were in fact written (at least in large part) by them. This includes Texas Instruments TI-99/4a BASIC, a version almost as far away from "standard" MS-BASIC as it gets! Gates's latest machine that he personally wrote code for was the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100!

[@angolin9352]

BASIC was designed to be less intimidating for beginner programmers, not to be a great language. And yes, it is very unimportant now, it's basically nonexistent. Beginners don't learn BASIC because there are so many incompatible variants of BASIC that a beginner can't use it to learn. Experienced programmers rarely learn BASIC because there are much more capable languages out there. Even Python, which has kind of taken BASIC's place as a language with friendly syntax, has a large standard library and several advanced features that BASIC never had.

[@LordTails]

@@angolin9352 Not to mention the "updated" version of BASIC in use today (Visual Basic) is suffering in code forme and definitely not that beginner friendly. I learned Python and SQL well before BASIC.

[@jamesslick4790]

@@angolin9352 I was NOT referring to it's use TODAY, But rather it's importance in the history of personal computing. Not that it was the best language (then again NO language is "best") It was the FOUNDATION of Microsoft, That by itself made it a "game changing" product. Plus I was told that it was "unimportant" in 1983, when at that time it was probably at it's peak in use (even in professional settings!) Many programmers who would go on to create important software "cut their teeth" on BASIC as it was easy to get (often built in) and easy to learn, Once mastered other languages can be learned faster. The Ford "Model T" is crap compared to ANY car today...The "Model T" also was one of the most IMPORTANT cars ever made. It was not the FIRST car, Not the BEST car, it DID open up the door to millions of motorists. I think that BASIC can be fairly called the "Model T" of programming languages.

[@Phuckinehring]

Excellent video, as usual, thank you! Please look into Toshiba, they were once a powerhouse in the tech world and now they are virtually extinct. Same with companies like RCA and Zenith, but I attribute that to televisions and VCRs becoming obsolete. Toshiba had a modern laptop division, made hard drives...there's got to be a story there.

[@BreadJr1]

Love watching your videos! I don’t watch every single video so I don’t keep up with the weekly uploads but maybe going forward post at your own pace and focus event driven type of videos that you’ve done in the past. Ex) Theranos scandal. Would like to see/hear your thoughts on things currently happening as well and maybe point to the lessons/results of your past videos. Keep up the awesome work!

[@paulweston9358]

It amazes me that Microsoft is as popular as they are. From a business/professional perspective, Windows and and the Office Suite are very sub-par. I think they are like BlackBerry/RIM-they are so popular in the business and government space because that’s what people have been using for 40 years, and no because their software/services are very good.

[@paulweston9358]

@@GoogleDoesEvil I completely understand your point. I personally disagree as I think there are too many superfluous options in Office apps that the average user never needs, but it’s also about comfort and necessity. I’m certain there are many, many people who aren’t pleased with Google Docs, for example, but for users who need the basic functionality, Microsoft’s products are overkill. I do agree wholeheartedly with you on many experienced users and their preferences.

[@inyrui]

@@GoogleDoesEvil ah yes, a positive opinion on Microsoft Office, coming from the user "Google does evil". I'm sure there's no bias there and that your opinion is perfectly subjective. Lmfaooo

[@paulweston9358]

@Tong Zou all a matter of preference. I personally like Google Docs, but that’s with which I am the most familiar.

[@sor3999]

@@paulweston9358 If you think it's bloated or the amount of features overwhelm you then you aren't the target market. It's like saying Photoshop is too bloated and you prefer Paint or GIMP. Your ass will be laughed out of the room in any serious graphic design circles.

[@oddjob914]

@@inyrui Every human has biases. If @Google Does Evil’s opinion is that he doesn’t like Google, then that’s his opinion. Maybe that commenter prefers Bing. I mean, I don’t like gravy. Am I too biased to share my opinion on the best foods for Thanksgiving? No need for grandstanding

[@Bozar069]

Its crazy how long I've been using Microsoft stuff going all the way back to my first PC running Dos. We always had apple stuff at school but I started off with a 486 at home.

[@AaronOfMpls]

Similar story here. I may have started out on Apple IIe's at school, and my mom's parents were Mac users from 1990 til they passed (RIP). But our first home PC was a hand-me-down 8088-based IBM running (MS) PC-DOS, which was probably a decade+ old even then. Soon followed by a 486 PC running MS-DOS and Windows 3.1, which we later upgraded to Windows 95. I may run Linux these days, but I was still using Windows 7 until it reached end-of-support in 2020. And I have my Linux desktop environment arranged very much like Windows 98's, but with a modern dark theme. And I may have always been a PC gamer (unless you count our old Atari 2600), but my brother has had an Xbox of some sort since about 2002 or '03.

[@jeyzeus]

If I remember correctly, my first PC was 286 running on 12MHz, but if you pressed turbo button, it ran on 33MHz. Good times.

[@PongoXBongo]

@@AaronOfMpls Sounds a lot like my story (perhaps we're in a similar "early-millennial" age bracket?). Our first family computer was a 286 PC running MS-DOS, but I sadly didn't get to use it much as was really my father's home office machine. We shared various upgraded family PCs until I went off the college, when he bought me my own (sort of, I talked him into letting me build it myself), which was a Pentium 3 box running Windows 2000 (this was pre-XP SP2). . Today, I'm still runing Windows on my own home office desktop PC (for software compatibility and gaming) but have started experimenting with Linux Mint on my laptop as it runs a lot smoother on the more limited hardware. I might switch my desktop over to Linux and run Windows in a virtual machine at some point, but can't afford the potential downtime business-wise at this point.

[@icesoft1]

Absolutely loved my Windows Phones, just unfortunate that they were late to the party, and couldn't get enough app developers to write software for their devices... It just did a lot of things right, right out of the box...

[@Sacto1654]

Windows Phone failed because Google wasn't willing to "play nice" with Microsoft. Google had to "play nice" with Apple because the iPhone is such a powerful and dominant product in many markets around the world.

[@CelticShaman.]

@@Sacto1654 you're absolutely right. I owned the Windows phone at the time and was looking into some of the stuff Google was doing to them to keep them out of the market. One notable thing is how Google bought Waze (the best Google maps equivalent at the time), pulled it from the Windows phone app store, and basically let it rot on the Google Play store. And that's just one example. Pretty ironic that Google would be nothing without Windows computers and yet they fought tooth and nail to keep them out of the mobile phone industry.

[@SHRModding]

Same! My first smartphone was a Windows phone and I had one up until it was almost dead.

[@codezero7981]

it was way smoother than Android and comparable to iOS in terms of performance

[@dislikebutton4239]

@@CelticShaman. couldn’t Microsoft just buy all the necessary things they needed? I’d assume they had more money then Google

[@jurassictyrantkingYT]

Xbox the only console made in the USA. Bethesda acquisition was a shock but Activision Blizzard acquisition was a Monumental moment for a lot of people online.

[@stang9806]

Xbox is manufactured by tsmc in Taiwan what do you mean

[@jurassictyrantkingYT]

Actually the software that makes the Xbox interior is made in the USA. The Xbox Console Shell is pretty much made in Taiwan or Mexico.

[@DP12321]

Sony is barely Japanese anymore since PS4 came out. Mark Cerny isn't a Japanese name.

[@jurassictyrantkingYT]

Well it depends on which outpost branch you're talking about because Sony has many branches, but their main headquarters is still in Japan. However many of their products are still made in Japan that includes the PlayStation software for the PlayStations 1 through 5, except for the outer shells of the PS Consoles Which like XBOX are made in both Taiwan and Mexico

[@DP12321]

@@jurassictyrantkingYT all corporations are globalist. Sony abandoned their Japanese identity and have suffered for it in terms of uniqueness.

[@Mkultra746]

We need a Company Man: The Rise…and Rise Only.

[@screwcollege8474]

Also dynamics 365 is part of their productivity business it’s competitor to salesforce, does crm

[@davinp]

Microsoft had paternered with IBM on an operating system called OS/2 Warp. But they later broke up and Microsoft went on to make Windows. This was before Windows 95 came out

[@iwanttocomplain]

@@GoogleDoesEvil correction-Windows 2000 was the first consumer MS os to use NT technology. It even proudly stated it under the logo “NT Technology”. The first ever stable MS product. It was a glorious time. Also ntfs file system.

[@iwanttocomplain]

@@GoogleDoesEvil well I remember running ME then moving to 2000. Even though I was only a spotty pubescent with no money. XP came out one year later though. Windows is still basically XP/2000/NT just with a more ugly sparse cluttered and confusing interface. MS literally have improved nothing whatsoever. Diabolical. Oh sorry, you can imitate the MacOS ‘dock’ now, a bit. Also, there is a wallpaper which looks like the inside of a marble.

[@ArceusX300]

I waited since 2017 for you to make a video on Microsoft, but you didn't want to use up the video ideas on bigger companies. I've stuck by your side since the KMart and ToysRUs videos, glad to see you've come so far!

[@grumpywolfgaming]

I worked for Microsoft support for 7 years, for xbox network support and Microsoft Surface support. It's funny that their profits really started to jump around 2018. This is about the same time they killed off our contracts in the U.S and sent it all overseas. Wonder how much money they saved there.

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

This is such a fun channel. Even the commercials that play before the video are better. tHanks for posting! (The storytelling is superb...I try to incorporate tempo into my videos.....I try.....)

[@NeeNee_B.]

Can you do Sizzler, Buccees, or Golden Corral/Ryans?

[@Yo_soy_Annna]

Great video! I love the bullet points visual 🤣 creative. You're the man, Company Man

[@joeleeashley3853]

Hello, I would like to see a video on Unilever and Proctor and Gamble. I'm starting to become more aware of brands and what all they represent. Thanks, and have a good weekend.😊

[@justsomething1529]

I just found this channel in my feed and I am glad I started watching

[@oosha2000]

Best of 2022 so far, this and meta bankruptcy

[@MitchellShilling]

I’m an Xbox Ambassador, and I feel so fortunate to be apart of the Xbox community where they really do care about others and are willing to make the whole gaming community feel like family.

[@JasonTrew2018]

They had their own game studio and had a great game called Microsoft Train Simulator and won a Model Railroader Magazine Readers Choice award and was planning out a new version before closing the studio down.

[@xbeckyx15]

Enjoy your vids! Suggestion of what to do one of would be Fannie May.

[@trevonpernell0814]

I JUST bought an Xbox controller today at Best Buy.

[@BuddyStud]

Poggers

[@Jay-jb2vr]

......yay......

[@paulcassimere2570]

Cool?

[@jevinday]

my brother bought me one of the new controller models the day before yesterday haha. I love it. the new d pad is the shit. it looks soooo damn cool too, I literally just keep staring at it hahaha

[@historylife4436]

Love the channel and content! Always Sunny is the best show and the podcast is great!

[@companyman114]

Agreed!

[@ChaosInferno101]

I'm always happy when you upload video in this channel

[@DavidDavis311]

You should do bass pro shops. It’s wild how a fishing company can afford massive multi million dollar themed stores. Would be interesting to know the history on that.

[@BatCaveOz]

MicroSoft were incredibly lucky that they secured the IBM deal that paid them per unit sold, as the IBM PC was waaaaaay more popular than industry analysts (or IBM) had predicted.

[@jhonwask]

Microsoft played the marketing and business strategy game very well and i should have gotten in on the ground floor. While i never purchase their newer products anymore, I'm always in search of their older technology.Congratulations to them. Now, lets hope they come up with a better operating system other than Windows 11.

[@ChelseaRoseKing]

Love your videos!! Would you *pretty pretty preeeety please* consider covering Peabody Energy?! Hugely hot topic where we live in Craig, Colorado. Interesting history!! Their profits are through the roof, yet they pay less than they did 20 years ago.

[@rustyshackelford3590]

Company man: this video is sponsored by raycon *years later* Company man: the rise and fall of raycon

[@shadowgb]

I gotta say. You have quite a good WORD to say about Microsoft. Its a positive OUTLOOK. You really EXCELL at these videos. On the SURFACE microsoft looks like a great company.

[@roncur]

😄. I see u

[@Obviary]

@@roncur through a WINDOW(S). Okay maybe that was a stretch

[@ECDT1089-EtheLamborghini]

Bro, I swear you have great timing.

[@gerrychong6058]

One of the key success for Microsoft in recent years is because of Satya Nadella. He has realigned the company and its business after Balmer. He made a dramatic change within the corporate team and its culture. Perhaps you can do more research and create another video to talk about recent success after Steve Balmer. Thanks

[@PonkeyPoe]

When do we get the Raycon video?

[@vanchecowilson9116]

You need do a part 2 Microsoft bigger than you know video

[@oosha2000]

Agreed

[@Toontastic_Juju]

I love Microsoft, even when I was younger. I remember browsing through the internet playing my favorite computer games on Windows XP and playing Halo Reach on my XBOX 360. I had a great childhood. I would like to know people what were their memories with Windows XP, I always remember it for the music startup and the bliss background.

[@BobBob-eb4io]

love the windows xp startup sound aswell as windows 7 very nostalgic

[@anonymousperson26223]

@@sosexyimsexy134 I would report you for spam but this is too funny

[@Daniel15au]

I'm kinda sad you didn't mention FrontPage (which was also an acquisition) and Publisher when talking about their productivity software. :(

[@Inspiration_Date]

2:39 - What's that orange square in the top-left corner?

[@gokusondbz]

Windows 95 On My 1st PC . Nostalgia 😌

[@martinstent5339]

I actually played around with an Altair 8800 back before there was anything like a personal computer. Actually there were mini-computers about the size of a wardrobe, but that was all. The Altair was not really good for anything. Ok you could step it through its instructions one at a time before you ran them, but generally only being able to input and output in binary and only having assembly language was a bit of a limitation.

[@jamesslick4790]

My man, If you used an Altair 8800, you DID use a "personal computer" - It WAS the first commercial device that can be described as such. Sure, it couldn't "do much", It WAS a 1975 product. But It WAS the start of personal computing that led to the "trinity" of '77 (Apple ][, TRS-80 Model I , Commodore PET). Despite it's limitations, an Altair 8800 Is a personal computer, just the same as an 1901 "Curved dash" Oldsmobile is an automobile.

[@martinstent5339]

@@jamesslick4790 I know you're right in terms of the modern definition of "personal computer" being a computer for one person. I was just saying that because most people under about 40 think a "PC" is an IBM compatible computer, if they even know what that phrase refers to. If they even know who IBM is or was!! I was interested to re-read the front page of Popular Electronics (01:21) who called it the first Minicomputer Kit. Of course at that time I was also running code on PDP8s and PDP11s. which were classed as Mini-Computers. How the world has changed!!!

[@jamesslick4790]

@@martinstent5339 Yeah, I get ya, But My 60 year old ass had been using "personal computers" for 4 years before IBM decided that it was "cool", I have to be pedantic and point out these things. Like; Apple did NOT "invent" smartphone. I feel I have to so history is not lost. Like THG says, "It's history that deserves to be remembered."

[@martinstent5339]

@@jamesslick4790 And my history of actually owning a personal computer started with an Acorn Atom. I still love the title of the manual "Atomic Theory and Practice"! How I loved that thing. Lugged it all over Europe with me.

[@whenisdinner2137]

I think it's worth mentioning that they were involved in video games and Publishing before they made the Xbox. With things like Microsoft flight simulator and Age of Empires on PC

[@carlosroman9002]

Any way u can do a vid on Lithia Motors I work at one of their dealerships and want to learn more about them I know they are pretty big

[@connorot2158]

Love your videos company man!

[@companyman114]

I appreciate that!

[@khaosklub]

microsoft was into gaming long before the Xbox y'know. They were big in the PC gaming market, with many popular games and sims developed for PC, like age of empires.

[@hamsterjohn]

One of your best videos learned quite a bit. Didn't know MSFT is 2T in market cap

[@trontech3218]

Hello, can you do a case study on a company called MOOD MEDIA ? It was featured on undercover boss, the CEO at the time was from Toronto, there is lots of Canadian roots, but the history, ups and downs, bankruptcy, being bought out etc is super interesting!

[@MrEricSir]

I'd definitely put Visual Studio under programming languages rather than cloud computing. There was a time when they charged a small fortune for the privilege of programming for Microsoft operating systems/devices, but these days they're mostly giving it away to compete with Apple, etc. so it's now an opportunity cost instead of direct revenue.

[@Champabay]

I've felt like Microsoft has been making a comeback since Windows 10 and has made many sacrifices since conceding to Google with Chrome and Android. I like Google but nearly everything they make dies and they keep taking features away and then charging for them. My PC's are Windows and my mobile devices are Android but I think that will change soon and it won't be Apple for sure.

[@-FutureTaken-]

Apple is for idiots Im an idiot

[@slxdaTV]

Love your content bro ! 3yrs strong 💪🏾 Would love to see a Walmart vid ! 😭

[@obrysii]

Interesting note about them banking cash. Nintendo did the same - they stockpiled cash from the Wii to the point where they had about 10 years' worth of banked funds in case things hit the fan, which it did with the Wii U.

[@oosha2000]

I remember enjoying my experience with windows xp and 7, what nostalgic times, so long to the best duo. Windows 8.1 was great by the time I tried it on my school's pc and aunt's laptop and almost had no problems but the update made it go brrr because of new update policy or something like that compared to windows xp and 7. Windows 10 wasn't bad at all but my pc was too outdated to handle it due to poor specs and rip my pc (200x-2021), it was a pleasure using my pc since my childhood and now I look forward to getting a new laptop one day.

[@SnifflingLime0-MW2]

I’m still rocking my Xbox 360 I bought in 2010! It’s the black slim model rather than the white one that was susceptible to the RROD.

[@mosesdevadass6056]

In terms of Xbox the 360 can’t be beat. I have the new one and even though it’s powerful, you can tell Xbox still has a long way to go before it feels like a gaming console again.

[@dislikebutton4239]

@@mosesdevadass6056 the series X/S are definitely a step in the right direction tbh

[@cadillacdeville5828]

The intro music 🎵🎶 💕

[@sleepywaschbaer]

Could you do a video on Tencent and/or Alibaba?

[@davinp]

Microsoft Office dominated leaving WordPerfect suite as less popular now. Word had help for WordPerfect users and Excel has help for Lotus 1-2-3 users

[@TheMark2newell]

If there is a lot of information do a Part 2. 😃😃

[@devingiles6597]

Like Rare for example. Microsoft acquired the British video game developer from Nintendo back in September 2002.

[@MemphisTiger]

So sad when the video was talking about WebTV. It just so happened that the man on the WebTV picture was Dave Schwartz, a longtime Weather Channel meteorologist who passed away in 2016. :(

[@karlstrauss2330]

I’m surprised you’ve had your channel for this long and haven’t covered Microsoft til now

[@tropictiger2387]

Microsoft is a weird company, their work on programming languages and tooling is fantastic, but somehow doesn't carry over into their own products. They have a strange inability to create a good UI.

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

Sony is still fighting a console war. Microsoft is attempting to become the Netflix of gaming. In the next 10 years making the greatest console will become like owning the greatest Blockbuster video.

[@ahrlj24]

Except If you don’t have your own storefront, you can’t get the 30% cut. Apple is the richest company in the world and they still make hardware. Xbox is being one dimensional with their approach. Putting all their eggs in one basket and all in on subscriptions could bite them just like when they went all in on Kinect and living room. Look at Neflix and their stock has tanked in recent months due to over reliance on subscription growth. Well with Playstation they are well diversified, Such as Hardware, First party Software, Third Party Games 30% cut, Subscriptions, Accessories, 30% cut from MTX, VR, PC releases, and Now the Bungie GAAS providing a steady revenue stream. Playstation’s revenue is higher than Xbox, Bethesda, Activision, Blizzard Combined.

[@josephnicholson1039]

Not exactly, unless you're implying hardware will be irrelevant.

[@TheCrazierz]

@@ahrlj24 except they do. People still buy games, both on xbox and pc. Gamepass won't eliminate games sales completely. Plus, they are aiming not just console players but pc players and even mobile players.

[@nicholasdean3467]

Sony has their own streaming service. It has been out for years now. But analysts don't care about the gaming sector. The main growth and most important part of Microsoft is their cloud sector.

[@nicholasdean3467]

@@ahrlj24 I mean PlayStation has to have higher revenue than all of those combined. (Since they are all Microsoft). But also they are roughly worth the same amount PlayStation is worth less than 1 billion more. They could easily loose that if Microsoft says no more Activision games on Playstation. (Or Bethesda games too)

[@meow-ic6gz]

could you please do vs companies videos from same and different industries according to their brand and market value thanks a lot GOD bless

[@beanmarine1173]

Week 4 of asking for a video on the southern fast food chain “Cook out”

[@rbspace454]

I know that a lot of People like to hate on Microsoft, but I've been a Windows / Microsoft Administrator for 15 years. So I guess you could say I'm overall grateful for them!

[@angolin9352]

Well, I guess Windows keeps you busy.

[@space0015]

Yeah be careful if you can see a sad face

[@cataphracts123]

Company Man: Look at this pictograph. Leveraged buyouts cut their on hand cash in half.

[@zubochonk9205]

Do you consider making one for General Motors? Would like to see that,

[@miguelguzman9620]

Thank you for uploading these videos

[@1mrcow143]

Do a bigger than you know for Microsoft. Would love to know about their acquisitions

[@brute_lin2023]

NICE VIDEO! CONITUE MAKING MORE!

[@TheInkPitOx]

I love your avatar

[@oosha2000]

I like yours.

[@brute_lin2023]

@@oosha2000 what? pfp?

[@oosha2000]

@@brute_lin2023 yes, your pfp and Keith's pfp with Zelda.

[@brute_lin2023]

@@oosha2000 Thank You!

[@DanielSmith-mp4le]

My very first computer my family ever owned was a Windows 95 when I was a kid and even though that thing was really old even when my family got it I still have a lot of very fond memories of it.

[@iNightz]

I always love your commentary great voice I'm always looking forward to your next video

[@darkwoodmovies]

Microsoft is a unique company. They have great business leaders that can turn absolute under-budgeted trash products into gold mines of revenue. But that's also why almost everything consumer-related that they touch fails.

[@adisimo9066]

Simple cause they have become awesome these past years especially in the last few years and they actually listen to their customers! Ecpecially in their gaming divison!

[@PongoXBongo]

Windows 8 is a good example of listening to customer feedback. Props to MS for trying something bold and new, but when it got major pushback they learned their lesson and dialed things back a bit. Other companies would have either forced their customers to stick with it despite the hate or given up entirely and left the space. A big part of MS's success has been their tenacity tempered with humility.

[@adisimo9066]

@@PongoXBongo Good Example, i 110% agree.

[@p.burley4533]

If you make another video on Microsoft, mention how Gates’ mom was on the board of United Way, along with the chairman of IBM, whom she buttonholed and got to accept the early operating system. That connection was priceless because the OS wasn’t fully operational-it was more “S” than “O.” It is a lesson of influence plus timing over sheer ingenuity, which is so often hidden in tales of heroics. Probably on purpose since hope sells more stuff than anything.

[@boriss.861]

You could do a video on Raycon and Beats how they became successful. Taking a cheap product earbuds under $10 and marking them up. One way by giving them to Content Creators. Beats have their own story too.

[@TheInkPitOx]

Always been a Microsoft family. I've had every Xbox except the latest one. My dad started with MSDOS. My first computer had Windows XP. I used Internet Explorer until the rise of Firefox and Chrome. What sucks these days is that Word is online only unless you pay extra and you have to pay extra in order to get rid of the ads from Minesweeper and Solitaire. They also got rid of the analog clock and calendar. One video game acquisition that sucks is Rare, which prevented Nintendo for years from re-releasing Banjo-Kazooie. They were only just recently allowed to put BJ stuff in their games and add the game to Nintendo Switch Online.

[@megamix5403]

Phil Spencer is based.

[@CrazyAlienLady051]

@@sosexyimsexy134 See that KZbin never fixed the issue with these damn comments bots…

[@Insert-thing-here-Fan]

Pov your me: you have a Wii, PS3 and a Windows

[@oosha2000]

@@CrazyAlienLady051 Sadly, they will never fix it but somehow ThioJoe managed to eliminate the bots, check out his procedure video.

[@sor3999]

The Internet Explorer issue is way overblown then and still is today. Providing internet access right out of the box isn't something anyone would argue against. From what I understand, Netscape was paid for software while Microsoft bundled in for free i.e. out of the box functionality. There are a ton of software today that we had to pay for that is completely free now such as email. Netscape's business model was on the way out and they threw a tantrum as all businesses do when faced with obsolescence. I wonder if the horse and buggy business also launched lawsuits against the car industry.

[@TheRocco96]

Microsoft used bully tactics to get everybody to use Internet Explorer. Even today, if you're using Chrome or Firefox, Windows will regularly show these misleading messages that you're not using the recommended browser settings and offers to fix it (by setting Edge as default browser)

[@Outwardpd]

@@TheRocco96 While this is true to an extent, the netscape issue was that they were mad about it being free and included. Microsoft are massive bullies, but their evilness is almost entirely directed at their competition rather than their consumers.

[@El_Platan1t0]

Yeyyyy video of the week been waiting all morning !❤️

[@markfrederick6061]

worked there for 10 years... great company... great projects... great memories.

[@stepawayful]

Ditto, ditto, ditto and ditto!

[@TomBoi]

Personal usage of Windows is massive, but literally every business uses Windows, Teams, Office, and everything under the Microsoft sun. They know how to tailor to the business crowd.

[@Praisethesunson]

Tailor nothing. They are a monopoly. No business can run on Linux because ever other business they work with will run on windows.

[@garricksl]

Microsoft Windows and Xbox are not revenue maker. They want to sell you Azure services

[@megavern72]

I'm surprised that you didn't mention that Microsoft sent Apple a cash infusion so that Apple wouldn't go bankrupt. Without Microsoft, Apple might not still be around.

[@lorenzovillanueva8193]

They were also founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico!

[@MickeyMousePark]

yup then moved to Bellevue WA and with the success of MSDOS and Win 3.0 built and move to a huge campus in Redmond WA

[@TexasVernon]

I really wish Streets & Trips had lasted long enough to take on Google Maps. It had some great features that current consumer mapping apps are missing.

[@tommydub7785]

As an Xbox consumer, I didn’t know that Microsoft was successful these days

[@SeanRileyTalksMovies]

It’s good to be open minded. They are the most profitable business

[@tommydub7785]

@@SeanRileyTalksMovies definitely.

[@ItzTruthHurts]

@@SeanRileyTalksMovies not their gaming division 🤣

[@Heintz3matt]

While considered anti-competition, Microsoft actually invested in Apple back in the 90s which helped Apple make its big comeback. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of companies like Microsoft in an acquisition vs innovation way: what did they buy and what did they build.

[@Praisethesunson]

All they did was monopolize software that was developed for free then charge the rest of us a tax to access that software. Microsoft is one of the largest thief's on Earth.

[@EdgelordOfEdginess]

I would like a video of Zappos please. It was once one of the most popular companies to work for

[@LoveThatBass921]

This is the my favorite KZbin channel I love it and am a proud subscriber it’s all I watch