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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Carpenter who wrote (28119)	8/12/1999 1:08:00 PM
From: ToySoldier	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

John, My opinion is that Gates is somewhat timid on its "take over the world" aggressive strategy with AOL for two reasons: 1) Being an ISP is a huge extension of the business in the form of major infrastructure investments and the questionable return if MSFT did win the battle against AOL. Just look how much profit there is if MSFT is looking at giving away the service. Look at the whopping profits AOL is making (yeah right). Look at the cable companies, wireless provisioners, and current telco carriers in the marktet. Look at IBM's decision to get out of the world-wide network infrastructure business. It did not help IBM in its core competancies. MSFT/Gates might be feeling the same of "so is it worth the fight?" mentality. If so, then why be 1/2 pregnant Gates? 2) Gates has the DOJ attacking his company for similar "take over the world" aggression. Now would not be a great time to feed the wolves with more ammunition. Your right John, Gates isnt stupid. He is not going after AOL like he has other markets/competitors in the past for fundamentally sound reasons. That is why I hold to my beliefs that the MSFT that you all have known and loved and that made you all a ton of cash on the past 10+ years is not the same company now and in the future. Those MSFT success strategies are disappearing and MSFT now has to actually become successful because of superior products - heaven help the MSFT shareholder if it turns out that is the only thing that will determine MSFT's success! Toy