Microsoft's
Faustian bargains The secret of the software giant's success
lies not in its ability to innovate, but in its negotiating skills,
says CNET News.com's
Michael Kanellos. [via
CNET News.com]
Key Excerpt:
There are few, if any, organizations in the world today with the
same prowess in drafting contracts as the Redmond, Wash.-based
behemoth. Time and time again, Microsoft manages to craft cagey
deals that make friends out of enemies--or that compel friends to
engage in alliances they might not otherwise want to make.
Founder Bill Gates isn't evil, as conspiracy theorists like to
allege--he's just the Otto von Bismarck of his day.
True! But some of his employees are a little evil (just a
tad).