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Back to #401 How Bill Gates Works, with David Senra.

What Did Bill Gates Want From Seattle Computer?

David Senra reads Paul Allen's account of what Bill Gates wanted from Seattle Computer Products: a sale, not a license, so Microsoft owned DOS.

Microsoft would license software to customers and wanted to buy from suppliers. It proposed an outright purchase. When customers asked to buy Microsoft's own software outright, the answer was no. The sales agreement with Seattle Computer Products was different. Senra reads Allen calling it a free and clear DOS, a very valuable asset, and the foundation of what Microsoft would become. In a deposition later, Allen said Gates was adamant that the contract be an agreement of sale, with complete ownership and control. Gates thought it was always better to own a product than to license it, if you wanted to control the product and benefit as it evolved.

Grokipedia·David Senra·Bill Gates

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#401 How Bill Gates Works ·

Founders

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  2. Why Did Bill Gates Treat Constraints as a Friend?David Senra says young Bill Gates treated constraints as a friend.
  3. How Did Bill Gates Learn to Code From a Dumpster?David Senra reads that Bill Gates learned by pulling other people's code out of a dumpster.
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  5. What Did Bill Gates Start When Software Was Free?David Senra reads Bill Gates on starting a pure software company when software was supposed to be free.
  6. How Did a Best-efforts Clause Save Microsoft?David Senra reads Bill Gates on the best-efforts clause that later got Microsoft out of an exclusive license.
  7. How Many People Worked at Microsoft After Four Years?David Senra says four years in, Microsoft had just 11 employees. He thinks the count might be 12.
  8. How Much Did 5 Percent of Microsoft Sell for?David Senra says Bill Gates sold 5 percent of Microsoft for $1 million to Technology Venture Investors, TVI.
  9. Why Did Bill Gates Remove His Car Radio?David Senra says Bill Gates took the radio out of his car so the drives between home, the office, and the airport could be spent thinking about Microsoft.
  10. Why Did Bill Gates Stare at Philippe Kahn's Photo?David Senra reads that Bill Gates was staring at a photograph of Philippe Kahn, the rival he had spent years trying to get rid of.

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