Bill Gates On ...

By Bill Gates

. . . THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY: At Microsoft we have hundreds of people whose sole job it is to create the software that will make the info highway an idea worth having . . . The way in which you find and interact with information will change. It's not going to change tomorrow. It takes time figuring out these regulatory things, raising $200 billion ((to build the electronic highway)), making it easy to use, getting people's mind around it. But when that day comes, we will be a major player in delivering the software that makes it go.

. . . HIS COMPETITORS' WEAKNESSES: Lotus ((maker of financial accounting software)) lost ground because it was very late in catching the two biggest technology waves: the Macintosh . . . and Windows. Borland International ((producer of database programs)) is too distracted with its bad merger with Ashton-Tate. Philippe Kahn ((Borland CEO)) is good at playing the saxophone and sailing, but he's not good at making money. WordPerfect ((developer of word-processing software)) is truly a one-product company . . . Our most successful software is for the ((Apple Computer)) Macintosh. We have a much higher market share on the Mac than anywhere else. How does Apple help us? Well, they sue us in court . . . In the future, maybe our competitors will decide to become more competent.

. . . WHETHER MICROSOFT IS TOO POWERFUL AND RUTHLESS: Given the amount of mud people have thrown up on the wall to see if it sticks, I think it's pretty amazing that not a speck of dirt has ever stuck . . . There's no shortage of competition in the computer industry. You'll never have anybody in a very dominant position for very long because they have to prove themselves constantly. You can't just sit on a market position; the fact you have a 70%- to-80% share means nothing in the next round.

. . . THE MUCH BALLYHOOED MAY 27 MEETING WITH IBM CEO LOUIS GERSTNER JR.; A TRUCE WAS EXPECTED IN THEIR FEUD OVER SOFTWARE: It's the most overhyped meeting of all time.

. . . CHIPMAKER AND LONGTIME PARTNER INTEL: We do work with each other, but that doesn't stop Intel from lending money to Steve Jobs to help him put Next on their system. They want to make sure whoever's operating system is popular runs on their chips, and I want to make sure whatever chips are popular run my operating system. We're very pragmatic.

. . . NEW WINDOWS NT SOFTWARE: Windows NT really is a milestone in that we now have an operating system that is powerful enough to take advantage of the best of personal computers and workstations. But a lot of people sitting in their rec rooms and their kitchens probably don't need it.

. . . HIS FUTURE: I don't plan to do anything different for the next 10 years. I don't plan to retire to some deserted island. I wouldn't meet smart people; I wouldn't be challenged. I have the most interesting job in America.