Bill Gates successor: Microsoft laid foundations for Google success
Without Microsoft, there would be no Google, according to one of Bill Gates’ anointed successors, Craig Mundie.
Currently the chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, Mundie, along chief software architect Ray Ozzie, will effectively replace Bill Gates in July 2008 when Gates leaves Microsoft to focus on his philanthropic work.
In a candid interview with renowned Australian journalist Dan Warne, Mundie said that Google’s success would not have been possible without the success of Microsoft.
“The fact is: Google’s existence and success required Microsoft to have been successful previously to create the platform that allowed them to go on and connect people to their search servers,” said Mundie.
Talking about the Live platform, Mundie said Microsoft’s role is not to control it, “but in fact to allow it to be exploited by the world’s developers”. He pointed out that Microsoft doesn’t have any advantage over other developers when it comes to utilizing the Live platform.
“As much as our Virtual Earth product uses a lot of local 3D rendering technology, so does Google Earth. So I think there will be other ways in which we distinguish ourselves and where our knowledge of the platform and ability to continually evolve it, will be a business advantage for us.”
Google wasn’t the only company to feel the barb of Mundie’s snideness.
When asked about Apple’s habit of frequently dropping legacy compatibility, Mundie replied that Microsoft isn’t as cavalier as little old Apple:
“You know it’s a luxury to be able to leave your past behind, and if you have a relatively small installed base and you are essentially moving more into consumer-oriented things, you can be a bit more of a cavalier about that.”
It’s obvious that Bill Gates will not have to worry about where Mundie’s loyalties lie.
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September 13th, 2007
As far as Google goes, it would seem that Apple and Google are more bed buddies than Microsoft is…perhaps they’re confused.
September 13th, 2007
What he doesn’t realize is that it’s not imperative that Microsoft enabled Google, it just happened that way. Yeah, it’s history, but it could have happened any number of ways. Same goes for any company. If Google hadn’t risen as the dominant search company, it’s a safe guess that someone else probably would have been there to fill the void, and assuming otherwise is extremely fatalistic. It’s like this guy thinks the universe is a storybook being read by someone.
September 13th, 2007
Its seems he is going Beyond 3000, Bill Gates is master in everything he does, If you want to see his house, go to Bill Gates House Tour Enjoy seeing how billionaire lives.
October 18th, 2007
“Google’s existence and success required Microsoft to have been successful previously to create the platform that allowed them to go on and connect people to their search servers”
Is he joking ? Or drunk ? Google’s success required a web browser and has never been tied to any particular platform. Google’s rise was not dependent on Microsoft. Do they actually believe this ? If they do, then Microsoft can look forward to losing more and more market share simply because they can’t tell the difference between reality and their own spin.
December 20th, 2008
long loan for it it loan long for