To: Daniel Schuh who wrote (17036 ) 2/4/1998 9:25:00 AM From: Daniel Schuh Read Replies (1) | Respond to
Some Things You Just Can't Package zdnet.com On 20/20 in an interview with (the equally unpackagable) Barbara Walters last Friday, Gates tried to put aside the bad attitude which has made him famous and be just one of the guys. Through gritted teeth, Gates talked kids and marriage and even religion. His short-lived rendition of "Twinkle, twinkle" is likely to replace his ill-fated Connie Chung chair jumping spectacle as the CEO's most embarrassing made-for-TV moment. But there's one big fault in Microsoft's PR logic. Gates is not everyman. He may drive his own car and claim (not all that convincingly) that "my priority in my life is my family," but Gates and his cast of multimillionaires in the making are not just a bunch of boys and girls that wanna have fun. Those are powerful claims, but they don't jibe exactly with what third-party software vendors and Microsoft's own hardware partners are telling reporters "off the record." (See our first issue cover story on "Microsoft's Secret Power Broker" for all the gory details. ) (http://www.zdnet.com/sr/breaking/980202/980202a.html if you missed it) Hardware vendors are telling tales of Microsoft forcing their hand via software licensing contracts that call for steep price increases and bundling and marketing requirements that stifle innovation and competition.
