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Technology Stocks : Wind River going up, up, up!
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To: Allegoria who wrote (8733)10/29/2000 11:01:46 AM
From: saukriver  Read Replies (1) of 10309
 
To say that the ATT, WebTV or Wink investments are waisted is absurd. All three investments you cited have the potential to be enormous in terms of business growth for Microsoft.

I didn't cite the Wink investment as wasted. I typed Wince, meaning the Windows CE operating system. (For four months this year, I used a handheld for work with a Wince system on it so I am afraid that I am not fond of Microsoft right now. Curse it every time the darn thing crashed, which was often. Finally gave up and turned it back in.)

Please explain how you think a $5B preferred stock investment in AT&T under which AT&T gave Microsoft no promise of exclusivity for Microsoft products has a potential to add enormous business growth for Microsoft. I agree it will be enormous, but more like a write off.

Look, IBM has had some of the biggest buy-backs in corporate history.

Stock buybacks were not IBM's problem. The deal it foolishly cut with Microsoft was. That was back when Microsoft was a lean competitor.

MSFT by the way is frequently in the market buying back its shares. My point is simply that it should use its cash horde do more of that and less of its goofy Web-TV, WebMD, Expedia, etc. purchases. Thankfully, Microsoft was able to liquidate enough investments this quarter to offset the DECLINE in software revenues.

I'm sorry, but in todays economy it is ALL about market share and growth. "Growth in earnings" and "growth in sales" is a fundamental measurement used throughout the investment community. . . . WIND must grow - just like any other competitor for investor's capital.

I am not disagreeing that WIND can and should grow. The question to Fiddler from the reporter was whether he wanted to be "as big as Microsoft" or something inane like that. I still think the correct response was "frankly, I don't care," or whatever Fiddlier said. Companies--particularly when they have the cash hordes MSFT does--can grow lazy and ill-focused.
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