Now that Microsoft chairman Bill Gates officially has begun decoupling himself from the company he founded 31 years ago, it seems like a great time to ask what the Microsoft of the future —sans BillG—will look like.
Will Microsoft still be Microsoft without Gates? Or will it be as lame as Apple Computer without Steve Jobs, the Trump Organization without the Donald, or Martha Stewart Living without the queen of perfectly folded napkins?
Sure, Gates is planning to stay on as chairman, though not chief software architect, starting in 2008.
Without its competitive, hard-core leader involved in daily decisions, will Microsoft still be the bold and brash company that forced competitors out of business; incurred the wrath of government investigators worldwide; and earned the nickname “The Evil Empire”?
I say it won’t.
Read the full story on Microsoft Watch:
Check out eWEEK.com’s for Microsoft and Windows news, views and analysis.
